The Fall of Five: United We Stand
by DarkseidShrike
Summary: In the beginning there were nine of us. Nine Garde destined to end the war that decimated our people. So we stayed hidden in the shadows, training, and bidding our time. But the Mogadorians followed us here. They caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in London, and Number Three in Kenya. They tried to stop us in New Mexico and failed. I am Number Five and I am ready to end this
1. Chapter 1

**This Fan Fiction is dedicated to the author IwishIcouldbeNumberFive for all the fantastic advice given to me as well as inspiring me to start writing. I hope my fellow fans enjoy my take on this awesome series and will appreciate all feedback. Please make sure to review. **

Prologue

The Planet Mogadore

Darkness comes quickly to the planet of Mogadore. Whatever sunlight reaches the planet though the hazy atmosphere of smoke and ash is only visible for a few hours each day. The pungent reek of iron and sulfur is everywhere. But for some inexplicable reason the streets of every city on the planet are filled with Mogadorians. Young, old, Trueborn, and Vat Born they all stand together with their eyes on screens that have been raised upon nearly every building in sight. Slowly each screen simultaneously turns on to reveal the face of Setrakus Ra. "Citizens of Mogadore" he says, "The next stage of the Great Expansion is upon us!" The crowd roars its approval. "The humans have welcomed me with open arms and Earth is ripe for the taking. Although we have suffered, your efforts have not been in vain. Soon we shall take the Earth and achieve our destiny as the universe's true masters. But first we must crush the remaining Loric that have feebly attempted to stop us. So come to me my people and take what is rightfully ours. TO WAR!" The crowd then erupts in frenzy as thousands of Mogadorians march slowly to their ships.

Millions of miles away from Mogadore on Earth, Setrakus Ra allows himself a small smile. "There will be no future for humans"

Four

"Fire in the hole!" screams Nine as he tosses a grenade at a group of Mogadorians which instantly turns them into five piles of ash. Bernie Kosar has transformed into a full grown black bear is ripping the heads off every Mog in his sight. Eight is teleporting across the room striking down Mogs everywhere he goes while Seven, Ella, and Sarah fire canons at the Mogs from behind cover. Six and I have been tasked with interrogating Agent Walker. "I swear to the Loric Elders if you don't tell us where our ship is I will use you as a human shield for bullets those Mogs are firing at us" says Six I can't help but think how hot Six looks when she gets mad. _Good God_. I think to myself, _I've been spending too much time with Nine. Wait a minute what am I thinking? I just got Sarah back and now I'm drooling over Six!_ I have to get control over my emotions. _But you never kissed Sarah the way you kissed Six _a small part of me says. I decide to ignore it for now.

"John would you be so kind as to lend me some of your fire?" Six says. Wordless I light my hand on fire and put it on her hand. Within seconds, Six has a column of fire rising from her right hand. "Well Agent Walker seeing how my friends and I are running out of time I will give you to the count of ten to tell me something relevant before I roast you from the inside out" Six says. Walker has gone pale with terror and she quickly sputters "Please have mercy! The Mogadorians have your ship. The government found it eight years ago in Seattle near the border of Canada. We could never get it to work but the Mogadorians said they could. I don't know where they took it but I can tell you where a Chest is." Suddenly Six grabs Walker by the throat and slams her against the wall. "Were was it found?" Six practically yells. I am seriously considering stepping until Walker says "It was recovered by the Mogardorians in Arkansas. I don't know who it belongs to but nothing would open it. We tried everything, bombs, fire, even acid. The box wasn't even scratched. " "Where is it?" Six growls with her teeth clenched as she tightens her grip. "We…keep it….in the….Pentagon…in a vault… in the…basement" Walker finally wheezes.

After that Six loosens her grip around Walker's throat and says "Thank you Agent Walker you've been most helpful" before she shoves Walker's head into the wall with great force. At that moment Nine decides to walk in. He takes one look at Walker lying on the floor than gives Six and I a long hard look. "Did you two kill her ?" Nine finally asks. "No" we say in unison. "Too bad. Listen guys we've taken out the Mogs but reinforcements are coming any minute. We have to leave NOW" Nine says. "But what about Sam?" I ask "He could be in one of the cells. We have to look for him." Nine gives me a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry Johnny but there's no time. If we stay any longer we'll never get out. I promise we will find him but we can't help him if we're all dead." Realizing the futility of the situation I grab my chest and dagger preparing for the upcoming fight. Of course Nine picks that moment to say "Besides, this girl and I need to spend some quality time together". Six and I look at each other and roll our eyes

Adam

Agony. That is the only word I can use to describe my situation. Every breath I take only reminds me of my crushed ribcage and multiple fractures throughout my body. I can't move a single part of me and have absolute no sensation in my legs and lower back. I fear the damage might be permanent. _I'm sorry I didn't put up a better fight One_. I think. But at least Sam and Malcolm made it out. Here I am Adamus, the scourge of Mogadorian race dying because a giant piece of concrete decided to fall on me. _Well at least things won't get any worse than this_.

Then I feel a massive explosion rip through the door that guarded that entrance to the cell block. O_h God they've come to finish me off_ I think. _At least they will put me out of my misery_. Nearly fiftymen enter the cell block armed to the teeth with full riot gear, gas masks, and nearly every conceivable firearm. Then to my horror Sam and Malcolm are brought forward by one of the men and forced to stand over me. I feel my heart breaking and blink back tears. _Not like this!_ I want to scream _Not after everything we've been through. Please don't let it end like this_. Then to my utter shock, one of the men removes his mask to reveal the face of one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen. She is rather tall, has long, dark brown hair that comes to her shoulders, and green eyes the color of emeralds.

"Who the hell are you suppose to be?" I ask as she bends down to put her hands under the slap of concrete on top of me. With practically no effort, she lifts the slab that must weigh over two tons over her head and throws it into a nearby wall. "The names Talia, and my friends call me Five. But today I'm your guardian angel" she says with a smile. The magnitude of this surprise and my severe pain are finally to0 much to bear and I black out into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Six

As we flee through the halls of Dulce Base I can't help but appreciate the importance of this day. After 10 long years of running and hiding the Garde have finally come together except for one of us. I think about what we've all gone through, the friends we've lost, the battles we've fought, and the dangers we've faced. And it all started when I found John. Before I found him I had lost nearly all hope of finding another member of the Garde and one day returning home. But since the day I've met him, John has renewed my faith in our struggle and now we are so close to being united, the Mogadorians' days have become numbered.

As we went what appears to be a massive parking garage filled with hundreds of vehicles, I find myself looking John over and feel a pang of jealousy when I see Sarah kiss him. _Get over it Six_ I tell myself, _Sarah is his girlfriend you can't be with him. But no one has ever kissed you the way he did _another part of me says. _He likes you. How could he not? All you have to do is tell him_. While I try to repress my internal conflict, I can't help but feel annoyed that I've lost the first boy I ever liked to a mere human.

"Hey guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we have a slight problem" says Eight. "What is it?" says Marina as she comes to his side. Eight points his finger to the exit and I feel my heart sink. Our escape route is sealed by a massive door that is over 20 feet high and must be made of at least 4 feet of solid steel. Even with our Legacies it could take hours to get it open. "How are we going to get out of here?" Ella asks me with her big brown eyes looking back into mine. Before I can respond I hear Nine yell "HEY Sweetheart!" we all turn around and see Nine on top of one of the tanks grinning at us like a mad man. "Say hello to my little friend!" he shouts as he positions the barrel of the gun at the door.

"Everyone get down!" I scream as Nine fires his new toy at the door. With a head shattering explosion, the door is completely blown off its hinges as flaming bits of metal go flying everywhere. "Are you crazy?" I shout at Nine as he comes strutting over to me. "Crazy for you Sweetheart" he says a cocky smile on his face. "Besides, I just saved us all from getting trapped. How about a kiss for the hero?" he asks grinning like an idiot.

"Do you want to see how hard I can punch?" I ask him while I glare and cross my arms. While everyone bursts out in laughter he says "Oh you didn't tell me she was a feisty one Four. I like em feisty. The feisty ones are always better kissers but you wouldn't know anything about that. Would you Johnny?" At the last bit I can't help but smile at John as he blushes slightly. "Oh so you do know don't you? You dog John" he laughs as he walks over to the multiple vans parked in the lot. Unfortunately, Sarah noticed John's blush and is now looking between John and I with a puzzled expression on her face.

After we pick out a suitable SUV, and load our chests and stolen weaponry in the trunk, I grab the keys and walk towards the driver's side when I feel someone put their arm around my shoulder. "I was thinking I could ride shotgun Sweetheart so you and I can get to know each other a little better" Nine whispers in my ear. That's it I think as I flip him over my head, throw him to the ground, and deliver and solid punch to his chest which winds him badly. "I warned you Nine" I say as the others shake their heads and laugh while Nine struggles to breath. Then I put my foot on his chest and in a strong voice I say "If you ever touch me or call me sweetheart again I will break you". Nine then has the nerve to smile at me and say "Why do you have to be so hostile sweetheart I was only being friendly" _Oh boy_ I think as I start the car, _this is going to be a very long ride_.

Adam

When I finally come to, I am sitting in a very soft chair in a very wide and highly decorated room where I hear a low vibration that seems to penetrate every corner. Across the table from me is the girl that lifted the concrete that was crushing me. "You're finally awake. Good. I was beginning to get concerned" she says with a smile. "Where am I?" I ask taking in my surroundings. "Right now we are 45,000 feet above Mexico traveling on my 747 jet. We should arrive at our destination in a few hours" she says as she gets up from her chair and stretches her arms.

"Where are we going? Are Sam and Malcolm okay? Are you really number Five? How did you get your own plane? Where are all the guys you had in the base with you?" I blurt out in quick succession. "Whoa take it easy, you almost died today. One question at a time Mr. Mog and yes I know what you are Adam" she quick adds after she sees my look of surprise.

"Before I answer any of your questions I was wondering if you wanted something to eat and drink." I nod my head "Some orange juice please". Five walks over to the door and presses a small button slightly to the right of the door. "Harold? Could you please bring some snacks to the meeting room as well as two glasses of fresh OJ? But make mine a Mimosa." She listens to a reply and says "Some veggies sticks and cookies and make sure the cookies are chocolate chip." _Those are my favorite_ I think to myself. _How did she know_?

10 minutes later the food arrives on a silver platter brought by a small man wearing a dark blue suit and tie. "Thanks Harold" says Five after he sets the food down. "It's no bother Miss Talia. Call if you require anything else" he says with a bow before leaving the room. As Five passes me a glass of orange juice I wonder if she is trying to fool me into a false sense of security by pretending to be nice. As I wait for her to take a drink from glass she looks back at me and says "You can start whenever you want Adam". "How did you know my name?" I ask as I take a cookie wondering if it's secretly poisoned. Five grins at me and says "because I can read minds". I laugh at first thinking she is joking but after looking at her face I can see she is telling the truth. "Seriously?" I ask. "Yep and it's safe to eat the cookie they aren't poisoned and I know these are your favorite." she says laughing at my expression of shock. "Holy shit, you were telling the truth. What other Legacies do you have?" I ask as I eat my cookie.

"All in good time Adam" she says. "But first let me answer some of your other questions. Right now are flying to Argentina where I have my base of operations and safe house. I really am number Five and I rescued you and your friends from certain death at the hands of the Mogs in New Mexico. Your friends are currently sleeping in one of the bed rooms I have on the plane. As to how I acquired this plane, I bought with money I made from my business. The men who helped me rescue you and your friends are part of the organization my Cepan and I run from our base in Argentina". "And what is your organization called?" I ask as she takes another sip of her drink.

"The Peace Corps" she says. I give her a long look and after a minute she says "We aren't known very well except among some law enforcement agencies but to those who have heard of us we are known as the Society of Shadows or just the Society. And the Society is what enabled me to purchase this plane as well as well as all the other equipment and facilities across the world that my Cepan and I own". A

s I take all of this new information in I can't help wonder what kind of businesses the Society is involved in and how many people work for it. Five then proceeds to say "We sell things to people. Think Amazon on a much larger and dubious scale. We sell information, weapons, certain medical ... products, and we also specialize in training and renting armed personal for nations that become involved in conflicts". "You mean mercenaries right?" I ask as I help myself to a carrot. "Exactly. The men who helped me rescue you and your friends are some of our best troops" she says as she finishes her drink.

Before I get a chance to ask her more about the Society of Shadows and her legacies, she smiles at me and says "Listen Adam I promise we will talk some more but I need to take care of some things. Our trip will be at least another four hours so feel free to order some more food, watch a movie, or take a nap". Then I see a mischievous smile form on her face as she says in fact I think a nap would be good for you right…. about…now. As I stare at her trying to figure out what she means when I feel an overwhelming amount of fatigue overcome me causing me to fall back on my seat. "Why you little…" I say as my eyes slowly start to close. I hear Five laughing as she says "What kind of gratitude is that for your guardian angel?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Discalimer: I don't own The Lorien Legacies but if I did that would be awesome. **

**Hey everyone, thanks for the nice reviews especially Dogs4324 who was the first to review my story. The reviews mean a lot to me and I am really glad people like the story. Anyway, here's the next chapter and hope it lives up to your expectations. Don't forget to review and if I receive 14 within the next day, I may post chapter 4 on Tuesday. **

Chapter 3

Four

As we travel across the southwest, Sarah, Ella, and Seven decide to sleep, while Nine, Eight, Six and I take turns driving. Nine remains oddly quiet, probably to avoid ticking off Six. Not that I mind, I could get used to this Nine.

While I am driving, I notice Eight constantly admiring Marina from the passenger seat. Those two should really consider getting together and I make a mental note to tell him later. After a while, Eight and Nine give into exhaustion and are soon snoring a way which means the only people still awake are Six and myself. Once again I find myself observing her lithe form, the way her hair falls around her shoulders, and how the color in her eyes changes with the light. Suddenly I feel guilty that I'm checking out Six when the person I should be admiring is Sarah. I look at Sarah sleeping in the back and then back at Six. Then I remember how I almost kissed Six in Florida and how we parted when she left for Spain.

_You'll have to tell Sarah sooner or later_ I tell myself. But what if I didn't? What Sarah doesn't know can't hurt her right? I look back at Six and the thought of keeping secrets from Sarah sends a wave of guilt through me. Before I can return to my conflicted thoughts Six catches me looking at her and gives me a small smile. "Hey John" she says without taking her eyes off the road. I return the smile and we sit in silence for a few minutes. "I'm sorry I made you go to Spain alone" I finally say.

Six waves her and she says "Don't be too hard on yourself. Besides if we hadn't split up I never would have found Eight and Marina and you would never have found Nine if you had come with me to Spain". As I turn around to look at our sleeping friends Six say "I don't know I should thank you entirely for finding Nine. He thinks way too highly of himself. But enough about him I wanted to say thanks". "What for?" I ask. "For coming to New Mexico for me. If you and the others hadn't come I'd be dead" she says quietly. "You're too important for me to let you die" I say and my face turns red after I say it realizing how corny it sounds.

Six blushes slightly but instead of laughing at me she says "Thanks. But John I need to know, what happed to Sam?" as a look of worry crosses her face. I put my head against the window. I've been anticipating this conversation and dreading what I would say to Six.

"I'm sorry Six but the Mogs captured him in West Virginia. After we rescued Nine, the fighting got out of control had we were split up. Nine and I made it outside to heal our injuries but before we could rescue him Setrakus Ra arrived and sealed the entrance to the cave with a force field. When I ran into it, I blacked out and was ill for ages. I was just starting to return to normal when Nine and I had a dream to come to New Mexico. I didn't want anything to happen to you".

As I tell my story, I see a tear slide down Six's cheek. I'm about to wipe it off but she beats me to it and says "I don't blame you John, I blame the Mogs. Everything in our lives has been their fault. This war, Sam's capture, the destruction of our homes, and of course our Cepans. But I promise you we will get Sam back and make them pay". I breathe a sigh of relief and give Six's hand a squeeze for reassurance and smile when she squeezes back. The rest of the drive passes in silence.

A few hours later we pull into a dingy looking motel in Oklahoma. Using one of my IDs, Nine was able to get us two massive rooms. Six was forced to pose as his girlfriend and was absolutely furious after we went got into our rooms. Unfortunately, she took her anger out on the wall and now there's a huge hole in the girl's room. When Six calmed she moved the furniture around to cover it and now it looks good as new.

After a dinner ordered from room service, I decide to go for a walk with Bernie. We walk around the motel twice before I walk over to our car. BK tells me that he will meet me back at the room and after turning to a hawk, he flies away. I open the trunk and pull out my chest. As I run my hand over the old wood I think of how nice it will be to finally have some more time in Chicago to figure out the secrets of my chest. However looking at the chest also brings back horrible memories like losing Henri, the guilt I've been feeling over the past about my feelings for Sarah and Six, and losing Sam in order to get it back.

As I, close the trunk and walk towards the motel with my chest, BK returns and shifts back to beagle form. He tells me that Six is on the roof and is staring into space. I decide now might be the perfect time to come clean with Six and drop my chest off in the room I'm sharing with Eight and Nine. Then I go the girl's room to say goodnight to Sarah. When I open the door Sarah and Marina are playing a card game while Ella is fast asleep. I give Sarah a kiss and head to the roof.

When I get to the roof I take a deep breath and open the door as quietly as possible. Without making a sound I slowly approach Six who appears to be meditating. I am considering going back to my room when Six says "Going somewhere Mr. Smith?". She turns around and motions to a spot next to her. As I sit down I smile and ask "Did you develop mind reading and not tell any of us?". Six laughs and says "No, I heard someone coming and recognized your footsteps. But nice try to sneak up on me. " she grins. After a moment of silence she stands up and says "So what did you want to talk about?" "Well.…" I start not sure where to begin.

I see Six frown slightly before she says, "It's about Sarah isn't it?" I nod my head mutely. "I'm sorry Six, I know it's wrong to do this to you but I love Sarah and I like you too but I can't…." Before I know what's going on Six is walking over to me and pressing her lips against mine. Soon I'm kissing her back and running my hands through her blonde hair. No part of conscious says while the other part tells me to keep going. Six suddenly stops and we both a breathing heavily. As the implications of what we've just done sink in, we take a step back from each other to catch our breath. As shame turns my face red, Six walks over and quietly says "I'm sorry John, I shouldn't have done that, I can tell Sarah it was my fault but I have strong feelings for you too."

My heart beats a little faster and I'm about to tell her that it's my fault when I hear a loud bang that causes Six and I to turn towards the parking lot. As we turn around, we see a rocket speeding towards us and over 20 vans filled with Mogs racing towards the motel.

**Mwa ha ha. Cliffhanger! What will happen? What is Five up to? Will John Choose Sarah or Six? Tune in next time see find out. All reviews, comments, predictions and suggestions are greatly appreciated by the author. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for the great reviews and suggestions. Quite a few of you asked that I make Four choose Sarah over Six and I would like to tell you what happens but you're all going to have to wait for a few more chapters. Hope this was worth the wait and I will try to post the next one by Friday. Please review. **

Chapter 4

Five

As my plane lands on the runway, I turn to look at my passengers. They might not be much to look at but all of them have gained my respect. Sam and Malcolm have proven themselves to be firm allies of the Loric while Adam has risked everything to help our cause. After he woke up from his nap, Adam filled me in on how he meet One, failed to save Two and Three, started working against the Mogadorians and ultimately gained a Legacy and met up with Sam and Malcolm. As he told his story, I felt relieved to know that our strength is increased despite losing three of the Garde.

After we step off the plane, we board a helicopter and fly the rest of the way to my home. _It's good to be back in Argentina _I think to myself as the copter flies over the trees. All _I need to do is find the rest of the Garde and the next stage can take place_. It's hard to believe that after years of hiding on this backwater planet, the time has come for the Garde to reunite. "In ten minutes we will arrive at my villa" I shout over the noise of the propellers. "Prepare to be impressed" I tell them and see them grin in anticipation of what is to come.

When the copter finally lands, my Cepan Hannibal is waiting at the landing zone. After giving him a big hug I introduce him to our new friends. I notice Hannibal eye Adam with interests but he relaxes when I tell him Adam is on our side. While introductions are made I see everyone stare at the large scar that runs down the left side of Hannibal's face from his eye to his jaw. Hannibal notices as well and tells them "It was five years ago. A Mog slashed my face with a bowie knife but Talia here managed to save me. The bastard cut right to the bone". I blush at his praise but smile at the others. Although Hannibal brushes it off I was terrified that I was going to lose him that day. "But enough of the doom and gloom" Hannibal says. "How about a tour of our little hacienda?" and with that we walk towards our massive 5,000 acre estate.

Four

As the rocket flies towards us, Six turns invisible, grabs my hand, and we jump off just before it hits the motel. When the rocket hits, there is a huge explosion and the roof is quickly consumed by fire. Guests start pouring out of their rooms and the screech of tires is heard as the vans start pulling into the parking lot. When the vans come closer I notice every single one has FBI written on it. "How did they find us?" Six asks as she uses telekinesis to fling one van at another.

"I don't know but we need to get out fast" I say as I follow Six's example and start flinging things at the vans. "I'll get the others, stay invisible and keep them busy" I say to Six as I start running to our rooms.

Thankfully everyone is out if their rooms and looks ready for a fight. When I see Sarah the guilt I've been feeling lately hits me again. "Where's Six?" asks Nine as I grab my chest. "She's keeping the Mogs busy" I say as we run to the exit. Before we leave, I turn to the others and say "Listen, I think there was a bug on the car so we need Nine to hot-wire one. There at least eighty Mogs and FBI agents outside so be prepared to fight. We have some weapons in the car we stole so grab what you can. Seven stay with Ella and keep her safe. Eight, turn into something big to keep the Mogs distracted. Nine you're with Bernie Kosar. As soon as you get a car, park it a block away and send BK back to get us. Kill any Mogs that get in your way". Nine grins and runs off with BK, pipe staff at the ready. After he leaves we step outside and are confronted with burning cars and an entire battalion of Mogs, but we're ready for a fight.

First, Eight turns into a dragon and flies toward the vans setting two of them on fire. That will defiantly get the Mogs' attention. Then, we run to the car and grab whatever weapons we can carry. We all take a pistol and some grenades while Marina takes a Mog canon, Ella takes two small sub machine guns, Sarah takes a Mog canon, and I grab a sword and my dagger.

"Ok, you all know what to do so get to your positions. Sarah you're with me. Don't take any unnecessary risks. If everything works out we'll be out in 15 minutes. Good luck everyone" and with that we charge into the fray.

10 minutes later the fighting has reached a frenzy. Eight is providing us with air support, burning row after row of Mogs. Marina and Ella provide cover fire from behind overturned vehicles and Six has summoned a storm and is striking Mogs dead with lightning. Unfortunately, the fighting has only gotten worse as reinforcements arrive to replace the Mogs and agents that have fallen in battle. As I plunge my dagger in the chest of my eighteenth Mog I hear Six cry out in pain. When I turn around I see Six has been hit in the side by a Mog canon and is severely burned. Before the Mogs can react, I set myself on fire and jump into their midst in order to stop them reaching Six. I chop a head off with my sword, set three on fire, and use telekinesis to launch the remaining Mogs into the air and in the path of Eight's fire.

Without a moment to spare I reach Six and bend down to examine her injuries. At a glance, the burns don't seem so bad but upon closer examination it is reveled the burn has gone through the skin and is bleeding badly. "Stay with me Six, I am going to heal you" I say to her as Sarah runs over to help. I give her my pistol and tell her to keep an eye out for any Mogs. When I put my hands on Six I feel warmth coursing through my body and the burn soon fades away. Six appears on the verge of passing out but somehow stays awake. As I breathe a sigh of relief, I see Six's eyes widen in surprise before she turns invisible.

When I try to turn around I feel pain coursing through my entire body, and slowly slump to the ground. As I begin to lose consciousness, I see Sarah standing above me with Taser in hand and twenty agents coming out of the shadows with rifles aimed at my head.

6

I feel weak and utterly drained as the Feds drag Sarah and John away. I try to pull the agents away with telekinesis but my Legacies have abandoned me. Luckily my invisibility is still functioning and I follow the agents unnoticed. As the agents pile into a large truck, I send a telepathic message to Ella. _Ella_ I call out. _I'm here Six_. _Tell the others to fall back and escape in the car. John has been captured, Sarah has betrayed us and I'm going to go rescue him. Send me a message when you get to Nine's safe house. I'll be in touch_. Despite Ella's protests I sneak into the truck and cross my fingers that my invisibility holds up.

**Sorry to all Sarah/Four fans but this was inevitable unfortunately. Hoped you all liked it and I promise to try and make future chapter longer. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you everyone for the nice reviews, they mean a lot. If anyone reading this is from Oklahoma, I hope you weren't in the area devastated by tornados. Our thoughts go out to any people who were affected. Hope you all like this chapter and I promise things will heat up in the next few chapters. There will be battles, action, and John will be making that decision soon. **

Chapter 5

Adam

I was always under the impression that all the Loric preferred modest dwellings and constantly stayed on the move in order to avoid detection. Five however has proceeded to blow that assumption completely out of the water. The little hacienda that Hannibal mentioned is a massive estate that rivals even the size of Ashwood Estates. So far we have seen an airplane hanger, swimming pools, stables, farms, gardens, wind turbines, a zoo, an armory with enough weapons for two world wars, a shooting range, a dock for boats, and of course there is the house itself.

The main building is a six story French château made of red bricks with a gothic style roof. The main doors are black and stand ten feet tall dark and imposing. As we cross the threshold Hannibal says "Welcome to Olympus". We start the tour of the house in the living room and slowly work our way around. There is a massive kitchen that could be used to cook for an army, a movie theater, a spa, media rooms, and a training gym with complete with mats, weights, and every conceivable exercising machine. The main dining room can seat over four hundred people and there are more bedroom, windows, and bathrooms then I could ever count.

Along the way, Hannibal tells us how the house was built to model the palace of Versailles and underneath the house are an array of labs, testing rooms, and living quarters for the soldiers that live here. I notice during the tour that all the soldiers in the house and patrolling the grounds look almost identical except for a handful that have darker skin or different hair colors. I'm about to ask Five or Hannibal why this is the case when Sam who hasn't said a word up until now asks "How in the world are you guys able to afford all this? I know all the Loric were given gems to sell on Earth but this is way over the top and aren't you worried about the Mogs or the government investigating?" Hannibal smiles at Sam and says "The Society of Shadows controls an extensive international criminal network so the money takes care of itself. Also we have a printing press that makes counterfeit bills whenever we need cash. As for the government and Mogs, well no one knows who the exact owners except for us and we have hundreds bugs within the Mog's computer and security database so we can know everything they know."

As we climb another set of stairs Malcolm asks "So what kinds of enterprises are you two involved in?" Hannibal replies "In addition to training mercenaries, we are involved in smuggling, fencing stolen goods, gun running, and espionage. But we have legitimate businesses as well such as casinos, coffee plantations, cattle ranching, clubs and real estate" A few minutes later Malcolm asks "Why turn to crime though in order to fight the Mogs?" Hannibal stops walking and turns around to face Malcolm "May I be frank with you Mr. Goode?" he asks. "Sure and call me Malcolm" says Malcolm. Hannibal nods ands says "Well Malcolm I'd like to share a little revelation I've had during my time on your planet. Humans slaughter each other on a regular basis and you try to explain the unnecessary violence of life by blaming it on criminals. So your governments pass laws or hire more police officers to prevent crimes from happening. The truth of the matter is crime can't be stopped since it is a natural part of the world. But you can control it which is part of the reason my collegues and I established the Society of Shadows. Also, crime is profitable and we need access to unlimited funds if we ever expect to win this war." As we fall into silence Hannibal says "We do it with the best intentions Malcolm and never target innocents. This is what the Mogs have forced us to become".

A few hours later, the tour finishes and Five walks us over to the west wing to pick out bedrooms. "Each bedroom has a walk in closet, TV, king size bed, and full bathroom with a shower and Jacuzzi. Just hit two on the phones in your rooms if you need anything" says Five. "Dinner should be ready in about half an hour" she adds as I enter my room.

The room is enormous and does not spare any expense when it comes to the furniture and electronics like the brand new Apple computer sitting on the desk near my window. As I approach the bathroom to take a shower, I notice the tiger near the TV. For some reason someone decided to put a life-size statue of a tiger in the sitting area of my room and it appears to be looking right at me. I slowly approach in order to take a closer look to appreciate the details, when the tiger suddenly blinks and roars in my face. I do the natural thing by screaming at the top of my lungs and running into the hallway. "Five!" I yell running towards her. "There's a giant tiger in my room! Get one of the guards of something! What are we going to…" I stop midsentence when I see Five is laughing uncontrollably and Sam and Malcolm are joining her. "What is so funny!?" I shout "There is a damn tiger in my room that wants to eat me and….."

Five interrupts me between a fit a giggles and says "You should have seen the look on your face. It was priceless." and then starts laughing again. "This isn't funny Five" I say getting angrier by the second "I'm being serious. The thing was huge and… " before I finish the tiger walks out of the room and starts rubbing itself against Five's leg. _What the hell_? I think to myself as my anger slowly dissipates. Five grins at me and says "Adam, this is my Chimera Nymeria. She I and I decided to play a little joke on you. You were never in any real danger." As I cautiously pet the tiger a thought suddenly hits me. "You can talk to animals can't you?" I ask Five. As she nods I look back at Nymeria who has turned into a grey wolf. Five whistles for Nymeria to come and as they leave she turns to me and says "You haven't seen anything yet".

After a heavy dinner of soup, vegetables and rotisserie chicken I finally push myself from the table and ask Five "So what other Legacies do you have?" I ask as I get up from my seat and walk over to her. "Well, I have telekinesis like all Garde, I can fly, I can read and control minds, create force fields, talk to animals, element control, control over technology, molecule rearrangement, and my master legacy is energy absorption. I also happen to be one of the last Loric sorcerers" she says as she drinks a cup of coffee.

While all the rest are self explanatory I have never heard of Loric Sorcery or the last three Legacies and am about to ask for more details when a tall, bearded, dark-haired man in an expensive looking suit and a metal hand runs into the dining room and gives a piece of paper to Five. "This was just intercepted from the Mog messaging system we've been monitoring" he says as he catches his breath. "What does it say?" asks Sam from the other side of the table. Five looks up with a grave look in her eyes and says "It says that the FBI has captured John Smith and is transporting him to a secure facility to be executed"

**Ohhhh! Another cliffhanger. Will John be okay or is this the end? Please don't forget to review:D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you all for the nice reviews and I apologize I kept to all waiting after the last chapter. School has been hectic recently and I haven't had much time to write. Anyway, to make up it up to you, I promise the next update will be in two days. Hope you like the chapter and don't forget to review. **

Chapter 6

Seven

The car is filled with an uncomfortable silence as we travel along the highway to Nine's safe house. Nine is driving while Eight sits between Ella and myself. Sitting so close to Eight makes me feel very self conscious and I suddenly feel the need to brush my hair or check my reflection. As soon as these thoughts enter my head I instantly feel ashamed. We _have more important things to worry about than your feelings for Eight_ I tell myself. John has been captured, Six is risking her life to rescue him and I'm sitting here thinking about a boy. I blush a little and turn to Ella who is trying to make a coin rise from her hand using telekinesis. _Hey Ella_ is say in my head. _Can you still hear Six?_ I ask. She nods her head and replies _Yes. She says that the agents put John_ in_ a prisoner transport truck and chained him up. He is still unconscious and she says they are heading to Colorado. Thanks Ella_ I say as I rest my head against Eight's shoulder pretending I want to sleep. He gives me a smile and pulls me closer to his body. I feel my heart flutter as I hope for Six to rescue John soon.

Four

I feel myself moving along a bumpy road and squint as I slowly open my eyes. It takes a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the light but when they do, I start to wish I left them closed. In front of my stand five agents armed with Mog canons, my old friend Agent Walker who looks at me with a sneer, and Sarah. _Why Sarah?_ I think as Walker slowly approaches. _What did they do to you make you betray us?_

When Walker is directly in front of me I try to stand and realize that I have been handcuffed, shackled, and chained to the bench I've been sitting on. Walker grins at me and smacks me hard across the face. "Wakey wakey Mr. Smith" she says as I glare back in response. I look around the truck in order to get a hold of my surroundings and try to think of the best way to escape. As though she can read my mind, Walker looks at me and says "In case you were thinking about running away I would like you to take note of the collar around your neck" I look down and see a black collar made out of metal and plastic that has numerous lights and buttons. "What you have there is a shock collar and if I get the slightest hint that you are going to try something..." Walker takes out a small remote and presses a button. Electricity races through my body and I gasp in pain.

"So unless you want me to change the setting from stun to knockout, I suggest you behave" says Walker as she takes a seat on the opposite side of the truck. When the final spasms leave my body, I turn to Walker. "Where are we going?" I ask in a strong voice. Walker frowns probably disappointed that I am not shaking with fear so I am surprised when she says "We are taking you to ADX Florence. The nation's most secure maximum security prison where you are going to stay until the Mogadorians can decide what to do with you. And I can assure you that you won't break out of this jail."

"That's what you people said about the last one" I say in an attempt to bait her. Walker shakes her head and says "This is nothing like the last prison Mr. Smith. Prisoners are kept in solitary confinement for twenty three hours a day, its nickname is the Alcatraz of the Rookies and the walls are so thick it can withstand a missile attack." As I process what she told me, Walker sits up and says "Enough questions, I want some answers starting with the location of your friends." I decide to do what Nine would do and give her the finger. Needless to say, Walker doesn't take kindly to that and gives me another shock. "Where are your friends hiding?" Walker asks. "Disneyland" I reply. She shocks me again and the process starts over.

After the eighth shock I slump to the floor and when I look up I see Sarah standing over me. "Why?" I finally ask her. I see tears forming in her eyes but before she replies Walker cuts in. "Oh don't blame her. We interrogated her for over a month in New Mexico and she never said a word. Only when we promised to bring her family to join her in did she start to talk. She cares quite a lot for you. Not that it did her or her family much good."

After that last jab I finally lose it. I lunge at Walker and wrap my hands around her neck. Before I can strangle her, the guards spring in to action and it takes all five of them to pull me off. As I lay on the ground, one of the guards hits me in the jaw with the butt of his cannon. I scream in agony of the hit. I taste blood and fear my jaw has dislocated. When Walker regains her composure she reaches into her coat, pulls out a syringe and says "I think it's time to change tactics." She has two of the guards restrain me and injects the contents of the syringe into my arm.

Then, she has the guards hold Sarah down and pulls out an identical syringe and holds it over Sarah. At first I'm confused but after a minute I suddenly have trouble breathing and my limbs become so heavy I'm unable to stand. "What did you do to me?" I ask Walker as I slowly lose control of my muscles. "I just gave you a dose of a Mogadorian poison" she casually tells me. "First it shuts down your Legacies. Then, the paralysis and coma sets in. If you're not given the anecdote by that time you never wake up. However, the time it takes to die all depends on where the poison was injected. The closer to the head the injection is, the faster you die." Walker then presses the syringe directly against Sarah's neck and Sarah's eyes go wide with fear. Walker then turns to me and says "This is what is going to happen. You are going to tell me what I want to know, or your little girlfriend is going to pay the price of your silence. Pick one."

The disparity of the situation finally hits me. I'm utterly helpless, no one knows where I am and Walker will kill Sarah if I don't talk. However, if I do talk I'll just get the others killed and although I love Sarah, I can't let the Mogs destroy my race just because of my feelings for her. Either choice is terrible but nonetheless I motion Walker to come closer. "My friends are going to Ontario" I whisper. She nods her head and promptly sticks the syringe into Sarah's leg. "No!"I try to scream but I have lost the ability to speak. The guards drop me to the floor and do the same to Sarah. Walker stands above me and sensing my contempt she smirks and says "Relax I just gave her a sedative in order to keep the two of you under control until we reach our destination." I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Sarah is alive and the rest of the Garde are safe from Walker.

However, my relief is short lived when I see Walker take another syringe and injects it into Sarah's neck. "That however was the real poison" she says. As Sarah convulses on the floor I feel my heart shattering into a million pieces know there is nothing I can do to save her. Just as I start the paralysis sets in, I see Walker and the other agents rise in the air and grab their throats as though they can't breathe. One agent is slammed into the wall while Walker is turning purple from lack of air.

I don't understand what is going on until I see Six appear in front of me. She quickly checks me for injuries and after finishing her examination she turns her full attention to Walker. Six grabs a syringe from one of the unconscious agents and injects the poison into Walker's side. "Enjoy a taste of your own medicine Agent Walker" Six says as she rams Walker into the side of the truck.

Six then comes over to me a look of worry on her face. "John" she says. "Blink your eyes if you can hear me" I blink them twice. Six sighs in relief and picks me up in her arms. "I'm going to get us out John. We may be in for a fight but I'll make us invisible. Ella told me that we can regroup in Chicago and told me where the safe house is." As we move toward the exit, Six steps over Sarah. I feel tears come to my eyes and Six holds me closer. "I'm so sorry John... I didn't think Walker would do that. It's my fault." I want to tell Six not to blame herself and how it's my fault for getting Sarah involved but since I can't speak I can only look back into her hazel eyes. Before we even make it out of the truck, we hear the whir of helicopter blades and a huge explosion ahead causes the truck to come to a halt.

**Dun Dun Dun. Who do you think is attacking the convoy? Hoped you liked the update and it was worth the wait. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow! 21 reviews. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed the story. This chapter has quite a bit of action in it and hope you all like it.**

Chapter 7

Nine

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to El Mansion de Nine" I say when we enter my penthouse. As the others gasp in awe of the penthouse and admire the amount of space, I turn on the security systems and boot up the computers to scan for news. Although I was only here a few days ago it feels like a lifetime with everything that's happened; Four's capture, Sarah's betrayal, and of course meeting Seven, Eight, Ella and Six. Thinking about Four and Six makes me wish I went a little easier on them and didn't give them such a hard time when we were together. Four is like a little brother I never had and anyone who can fight like Six deserves respect. I only hope they come back soon.

I also feel terrible that Four's girlfriend turned him like that. I only know all too well what that feels like. After determining there is nothing of interest on the Internet, I walk over to the living room where the others have decided to hang out and are talking amongst themselves. "Hey guys I'm going to order us some dinner so feel free to pick out a bedroom on the next floor. If anyone wants to take a shower there should be some spare towels under the sinks in your bathrooms. Hope you all like Italian food" I add as Marina and Ella get up to pick out rooms and take a shower. I notice that when Marina gets up, Eight's eyes never waiver from her as she leaves the room. I smile to myself and wonder how long it will take for Eight to ask her out. _Perhaps he needs a bit of help from the resident Casanova_ I think as I grab the phone and prepare to order the food.

Five

I run my fingers over my pendant and think of the others scattered across the globe. _Nine now six_ I think as I examine the men around me in the Black Hawk helicopter. Of course most of them aren't actual people; they're merely androids that Hannibal and I built under Olympus a month ago. To anyone else the droids look like normal human beings but under their skin are circuits, metal, gears and software. They stand over six feet tall and carry a wide range of weapons from A-12 automatic shotguns to Mac-10 submachine guns. The others are clones of Hannibal and were also made under Olympus. They have a much better personality than the droids and look as he did when he was twenty. There are twelve of us in the copter not including the pilot and co-pilot and we are closing in on our target.

The pilot informs me that the convoy we've been tracking is traveling across a wide bridge and consists of seven SUVs, a sedan in the in the front, and a truck that is boxed in by the rest of the cars_. Almost time to meet the famous John Smith_ I think to myself and feel almost giddy with excitement to finally meet another Garde. I turn to my troops and tell them "Listen up boys; we hit the ground in forty seconds. Droids, I want you to go in first. Try to clear it as best you can and kill any Mogs that show up. Avoid targeting humans unless absolutely necessary. Clones, I want you to lay down cover fire with the mini gun and keep everything away from the bird. I don't want to lose any of you or be stranded in the middle of Colorado with hostiles on all sides. Do your jobs and we'll be out in five." I turn to one of the clones named Jason and ask him if the predator drone is ready. After a quick check of the systems he gives me a thumbs up. I take control of the drone with my mind and give the order to start the assault. The pilot complies and launches a missile at the lead car and another at the SUV in the rear of the convoy.

Six

The truck has come to a complete stop and after hearing the explosions I fear the Mogs have caught up to us. However I realize this doesn't make any sense since the Mogs and government are working together and they already have John. I hear another explosion followed by gunfire and my confusion only grows. _Who's out there? _I wonder as I search for the best exit.

Five

I maneuver the drone to circle around the bridge and use it to take out another two SUVs. Unfortunately, one missile works too well and it blasts a hole through the bridge creating a large hole right in the middle. The people in the convoy start to return fire and the other humans on the bridge start to abandon their cars and run away in a panic. The droids are now working as a tight knit team and forcing Mogs and the enemy humans to take cover behind destroyed vehicles. I release the drone from my control, give manual control to Jason and jump from the copter. Using my flight, I slow my decent and land softly on the bridge. Using telekinesis, I throw abandoned cars at the enemy positions causing them to retreat. I order the droids to move forward and we slowly make our way to the truck. Someone throws a grenade at me but instead of throwing it back, I grab it and absorb the energy released by the explosion. Then, I point my right hand in the direction the grenade came from and release an energy blast which causes the Mogs to scatter. As the droids cut the Mogs down, I finally reach the truck. I place my hands on the side and breathe deeply in concentration. Using my control over elements, I freeze the side of the truck and when the frost covers the whole side, I punch through it causing the whole side the shatter. When I look inside the truck I see about seven bodies and two teenagers. One is a boy that looks half dead and the other is a girl slightly shorter than me, with toned olive skin, and blonde hair with dark roots. As I remove my mask the girl walks toward me with the boy in her arms, looks me over and says "Who the hell are you supposed to be?"

Six

With John in my arms I cautiously take a step towards the girl who just created a huge hole in the truck. She is dressed in black combat fatigues, looks about eighteen, is strikingly beautiful with full lips and dark hair not unlike mine, is a head taller than me, and has bright green eyes. Behind her, I see several men with guns firing at John's captors. The girl steps into the truck and pulls out her Loralite pendant before saying "I'm here for John Smith. Who are you?" In my shock, I almost drop John but I recover and pull out my pendant. "Number Six" I tell her. She smiles and holds out her hand "Five" she says and I take it.

After making introductions we turn our attention to John. Five bends down and after a quick examination asks "What happened to him?" "He's been poisoned" I reply. Five checks John's vitals again and puts her head on his chest to listen to his heart. "I don't suppose you have healing abilities?" Five asks me. I shake my head and feel my heart sinking. Five looks back at me and says "Unless we can get a healer or find an antidote in the next hour he is going to die."

I am now having a full blown panic attack at the thought of losing John. Living without ever seeing his smile or never hear him laugh again moves me to tears. "Isn't there anything you can do?" I ask Five. Seeing my desperation she looks at me sympathetically and says "There is one thing I can try. But I warn you, this may kill him as well." Any chance to save John is a risk I'm willing to take and I nod my head "Do it." Five nods grimly and places her hands on John's head.

**Ha. Another chapter, another cliff hanger. What do you think Five is going to do? What will Nine say to Eight about Marina? Please don't forget to review :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Holy Cow! 27 reviews. Thanks so much to all my fans out there, this really means a lot to me. Okay a lot of you were were wondering what Nine would say to Eight and now you get to find out. To all the 4/Sarah fans still reading this, I'm sorry I killed her off. But I promise if you hang on the story will get better. Anyway I'm rambling so I will stop talking and let you all read the chapter. **

Chapter 8

Five

I place my hands on John's head and start chanting a Loric spell to remove the poison. John slowly rises in the air and begins convulsing violently as the poison attempts to leave his system. I gently open his mouth and breathe in as though giving him CPR. Only when I breathe into his mouth, a green mist begins to come out and soon envelops his whole body. Suddenly, his back arches up and he starts screaming in pain. Six runs toward him but I hold her back. "Let me go!" she shouts as she struggles in my grip. "If you touch him you'll disrupt the spell and the poison could go back into his body or go into you" I tell her. Six stops struggling and slowly goes limp in my arms and instead watches the spectacle unfolding in front of us. John has stopped screaming and unexpectedly opens his eyes. The mist slowly leaves his body and curls around him like steam. After the mist disappears completely he turns toward us and takes one step forward. Before he can take another however, his eyes roll back and he pitches forward onto his face.

Luckily, Six reacts quickly and catches him before he breaks his nose. She turns him over and starts shaking him. "John. Wake up John. Can you hear me John?" This goes on for a minute and when he doesn't wake up, Six turns to me and in a panicked voice asks "Why won't he wake up?" I look back at John and try to catch my breath. Loric sorcery can take a lot out of a girl. When I finally catch my breath I turn to Six and say "The spell can only do so much. The healing required some of his life force and his body is more or less in a state of hibernation. He will be okay but is going to be like this for some time." Six takes this in and after a few moments of silence she gives me a big hug. "Thank you so, much Five. I don't know what I would have done without him." I nod my head and return the hug.

Curious about what the story is between these two, I use my mind reading to take a peek at Six's thoughts. I see a girl named Sarah kissing John, then John kissing Six outside an airport, Six fighting Setrakus Ra, Six and John kissing again, Sarah hitting John with a taser, John getting tortured by the woman with red hair whose body is right next to me, and finally the woman killing Sarah. I instantly pity John and feel my respect grow tenfold for Six. _While I've been training in the lap of luxury, she's fought the king of the Mogs_ I think to myself. Making a mental note to congratulate her later, I grab my walkie talkie and say "I have the package prepare to move out." As Six and I leave the truck I turn to Sarah and ask Six what we should do about her body.

I see Six's expression harden for a moment but tells me that Sarah deserves a proper burial and to bring the body. Then, using her telekinesis Six picks up the body of the red haired woman and flings it off the side of the bridge. I raise my eyebrow but say nothing. Once in the copter I tell the pilot to make a hole in the bridge to prevent pursuit. Before, he does however I tell him to wait and ask Six if she wants to do the honors. She gives a grim smile and presses the trigger releasing the missile and creating a huge chasm in the center of the bridge. Once we are a mile away I ask Six where we should go. "Chicago" she shouts. "We have a safe house at..." she pauses as though listening to someone. "The top of the John Hancock Center" she finishes. I smile and the thought of going to Chicago and tell the pilot to fly to O'Hera International Airport. As he checks the gauges and fuel tank, I turn to Six and ask her to tell me how John got caught and how she found him. "Well" she starts, "It all started in West Virginia..."

Eight

After a dinner of Italian food provided by Nine, I sit on the couch and look over at Marina. She has her back to me and is saying something to Ella. Ever since I've met her, I have felt a connection that I can't explain. More and more often I feel my thoughts wandering towards her whether I'm cutting down Mogs, teleporting, or even just sitting like I am now. I think of the way her hair falls around her shoulders, her light bright blue eyes, and how I kissed her after she found my chest in India. As I'm reminiscing, and thinking about Marina, Nine comes over and plops himself next to me. After minute he turns to me and says "You should really ask her out man." I look at him in shock and feel my face turning red.

Nine grins at my discomfort and as I ponder his statement, he says "I see the way you look at her and she looks at you. Come on Eight, we're two of the last three Loric guys in the universe and you won't even talk to her. What do you have to lose?" I look back at Marina and see Nine write something down on a piece of paper. He turns to give it to me and says "This is the address of the best ice cream shop in Chicago. I think the two of you should take a little visit. You might even have fun." As I read the address, Nine sighs and says "If you don't get over there and talk to that girl, I'll ask her out myself." I glare at him and he looks back at me with a mildly amused expression. Then, he grins and we both burst out in laughter. After we stop laughing, I get up and walk over to Marina.

I tap her on the shoulder and when she turns around, the smile she gives me causes my heart to flutter inside my chest. "Would you be willing to take a walk with me?" I finally ask her as I offer her my arm. Her smile grows wider as she takes my arm and says "I'd be happy to." I see Nine grinning widely as we leave and hear him say "Have fun kids, and behave yourselves." I laugh and walk towards the elevator with Marina.

Nine

After Eight and Marina leave, I turn on the TV feeling extremely proud of myself. As I'm flipping through the stations Ella comes over and sits beside me. "Hey kid" I say and give her one of my signature grins. Ella returns the smile and we sit in silence as I continue my channel surfing. Just as I find an action movie Ella unexpectedly comes over and says "Nine?" I turn towards her. "Yeah kid" she looks at me with her innocent brown eyes and in a small voice asks "Will you read me a bedtime story?"

An hour later after Ella has showed and brushed her teeth, she crawls into bed and I pull up a seat. Luckily, that movie _The Pacifier_ was on TV so I have an idea for a story to tell. First, I clear my throat, stretch my arms and then I am ready to begin. "Once upon a time there was a family of elves. And one day the little….elf family went into the magic forest in order to find a hidden…gnome facility. Where the gnomes were secretly turning mushrooms into uranium." At this point I turn to Ella and am surprised to see she is still listening. Glad that I'm not boring her I continue the story. "So three of the elves laid heavy suppressive fire on the gnomes while the others…. maneuvered around to the right flank finishing off anything left alive….."

An hour later Ella is fast asleep and Eight and Marina still haven't come back from their date. I check the clock and see that it is 9:30. Only when I sit in front of the TV and start flipping through the stations again do I see the date and realize that today is Sandor's birthday. Immediately I feel an overwhelming sense of grief wash over me and walk over to my room to grab Sandor's picture I keep on my night table. I set the picture down on the kitchen table and pour myself a glass of vodka from the minibar. Before I take a drink I raise my glass to the picture and say "You were the greatest Cepan I could have asked for Sandor. And certainly more than I ever deserved, I'm sorry I let you down in the end. Happy birthday." After another glass of vodka I start feeling tipsy and am considering going to bed when I hear someone crying and then the sound of something shattering.

After realizing the sounds are coming from Ella's room I toss my glass in the sink and run over to investigate. When I reach the door to her room, I put my ear to the door and listen. Sure enough, I hear sobs inside and after knocking I open the door. When I come into the room I see Ella crying quietly into her pillow and see that the mirror hanging over her desk has been shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. After noticing me, Ella wipes her eyes and looks at me sadly. "Are you okay?" I ask her. She looks back and says "I had a nightmare about Crayton and Marina. The Mogs found us and when my papa fought back they killed him and kidnapped Marina and me. When I woke up I pushed my hand toward the mirror and it broke. I'm sorry Nine, please don't be mad at me." My heart melts and I completely understand what she's going through. "It's okay Ella. Actually it's better than okay I think you just got your telekinesis." Ella immediately brightens up but quickly turns sad again. "What if I have another nightmare?" she asks. I pick her up and sling her over my back. "You can sleep in my room" I tell her. "And don't worry about the nightmares. I'll keep you safe." And with that we head over to my room.

I wake to the sound of knocking I look at the clock on my night table and it reads 10:30. _Shit_ I think to myself as try to get out of bed without waking up Ella. _Forget to give Eight and Marina a key when they left _I think as I walk to the front door and start unlocking the various locks and deadbolts. I hear another knock. "Calm down" I say. "The door's almost open." After handling the last lock I swing the door open to see ten heavily armed men in black combat fatigues and gas masks with an unconscious John being held by one of them. I step back in shock and am about to open up a can of whoop ass when two of the men start laughing and remove their masks.

The one holding John is actually Six but the other one is a girl I've never seen before much to my disappointment. The other girl is about my height, is very well developed, and has the most intense green eyes I've ever seen. Quickly regaining my composure I flash them a smile and say "Evening ladies. What brings you to Chicago at this hour of the night?" Six brushes past me with John in her arms and says "It's a long story." As she heads into the kitchen I call out to her and ask "Aren't you going to introduce me Six?" The girl turns to the men and says "Could you guys go back to the airport until we need you? That would be great."

As the guys turn around and leave, she looks me up and down before offering me her hand. "The name's Talia but you probably know me as Five." I decide to do what Sandor would do by taking her hand and giving it a light kiss. "Charmed. Welcome to my home Five" I say as she enters the penthouse and looks around. _Probably impressed by my setup_ I think to myself as I check Five out from behind and let my imagination run.

"Hey Nine, got anything to eat?" I hear Six ask from the kitchen. "Keep you voices down Ella is sleeping. There should be some pizza in the fridge." I say. Five heads pauses before going into the kitchen and says "Pretty impressive house Nine." I grin back but before I can offer a private tour she says "You should see my place sometime and to answer your earlier thoughts, I look much better in a bikini than I do in a thong." I stare at her with my mouth half open completely dumbfounded as to how she knew I was thinking that as she gives me a wink and heads into the kitchen. _This is shaping out to be a very interesting night _I think to myself as I follow her in.

**So what do you guys think of Five so far? Good? Okay? Awesome? Let me know what you think and don't forget to review. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you all for your fantastic reviews. They really made my day and I'm so glad you all like my version of Five. This chapter is the longest one so far and dedicated to all the seven/eight fans out there. This chapter will cover the date and contains a reference to Gossip Girl. If any of you are fans of that series, I challenge you to find it (I'm personally not a fan but my sister is). Thanks for all the support and I guarantee this chapter will blow your minds. Let the reading commence. **

Chapter 9

Seven

As we leave Nine's apartment arm in arm, I look over at Eight and can't help noticing how handsome he looks with his hair brushed back and chiseled features. After we've walked a few blocks I turn to him and ask "What made you want to take a walk with me?" Eight blushes slightly and replies "Nine made a recommendation and I wanted to spend some time alone with you." I grin on the inside, thrilled that Eight has finally asked me out on a real date after the past few days of silence and glances when we think the other isn't looking.

"Here we are" says Eight as we come to a shop called Original Rainbow Cone. The place is absolutely packed, and everywhere we turn we see little kids running around and tired parents and nannies calling to their charges. When it's finally our turn to order, I choose the dark chocolate ice cream while Eight goes with the orange sherbet. We decide to walk instead of waiting for a table to open up and eat our treats as we go. I'm greatly enjoying my ice cream and haven't spoken for five minutes when Eight suddenly stops. I stop to and look around in order to figure out why we stopped.

Eight is looking at me with an odd smile and continues to look at me until I give an exasperated "What? Is something wrong?" He looks around to see if we're alone before he says "You have some ice cream on your face." I immediately start blushing and curse myself for not bringing any napkins. Eight smiles and says "Hold this" as he gives me his cone and takes a napkin from his pocket. "Let's see" he says. "You have some on your chin and your nose." I feel my heart race due to our proximity as he wipes my face. "You also have some right here" he says rubbing his index fingers over my lips. Before I realize what's going on, Eight's lips are pressed against mine and I'm kissing him back. We stay like that until Eight pulls away and says "I've been wanting to do that all day." I smile back and say "So have I."

We start heading back to the penthouse but make a detour along the way. Before we know it, we're standing in front of a movie theater that is buzzing with activity. Eight checks his watch and tells me it's a few minutes after nine o'clock and Nine won't expect us until later. After some debating, we decide to see a movie. Once Eight buys the tickets, we each get a soda and share a bag of popcorn. When the lights in the theater start to dim, I rest my head on Eight's shoulder and give his hand a squeeze. He kisses my forehead and squeezes back just as the coming attractions begin.

The movie interesting but most of my attention is focused on Eight and the way his hand feels in mine. At the end of the film, Eight and I hold each other as we leave the theater and after some trial and error, Eight manages to hail a taxi cab. When the taxi finally drops us off, it is nearly eleven. When we enter the lobby Eight calls the elevator and once we pass the fiftieth floor, Eight turns to me and says "I had a great time tonight." I look back at him and say "Me too." We stand gazing into each other's eyes for a few seconds before Eight takes a step towards me and I close the distance. He strokes the side my face with his hand and I feel shivers go down my spine. He brushes my hair behind my ear and I sense his heat beat quicken before he brushes his lips against mine. It starts slowly but the speed increases as I kiss him back and press him against the side of the elevator.

The kissing becomes so intense, that we don't hear or notice the elevator stopping when it reaches the top floor until I hear some cough loudly. I pull away from Eight and feel my face turning red. Eight is turning crimson as well and has a very embarrassed smile on his face as we look toward the person who interrupted us. Once we enter the penthouse, my embarrassment quickly changes to confusion as I see Nine and a girl sitting across from each other in the living room. The girl is about the same height as Nine, very pretty, and looks rather amused as we approach them.

As I try to figure who this person is, I hear Eight groan beside me and say "Nine….Please tell me that is one of you neighbors and not some girl you picked up after we left." Nine grins at us and offers the girl his hand to help her get up. "Relax Eight" he says. "This is Talia, and she's wanted to meet you two for the whole night." As the girl turns around to meet us, I notice her necklace is an exact replica of the one Eight and are wearing under our shirts. Eight and I are speechless as she holds out her hand and says "I'm number Five, it's nice to finally meet you."

Six

Sun light streams into the bedroom as I wake up slowly sit back in my chair. I crack my neck and turn to look at John. He is in the exact same position as when I put him in the bed last night. With his eyes closed, slow breathing and a peaceful face, it's easy to believe that he's only sleeping and will wake up any minute. But I know better and if Five is right, it will take a while for John to awaken. I have no idea how Loric magic works, but whatever Five did has taken a serious toll on John and I'm beginning to become concerned about the long term effects this will have on him.

I take John's hand say "Please wake up soon John. We can't win this war without you... I can't do it without you." Just as I get up from my chair, Nine walks in to the room followed by Bernie Kosar. He says good morning and walks over to John. "Any idea when he'll wake up?" Nine asks. I shake my head. "Five said that it could be six days to six months." I reply. Nine continues to look down at John before saying "Makes me sorry I gave the two of you such a hard time on the road trip." I nod and say "Don't worry about it, it kept us from getting too bored "Nine gives me a smile before I add "It's also a sign of insecurity."

Nine glares at me before he grins and we both start laughing. When we stop, Nine shakes his head and says breakfast will be ready in ten minutes. He looks down at John one more before giving me a pat on the back and leaving the room. I stretch my back one more time before heading to the bathroom.

When I come out I see Five is now sitting in my chair and holding BK while observing John. At first I feel a flash of annoyance for the state Five put John in, but I calm down when I remember the alternative would have been much worse. As I approach, Five gives me a smile and uses her telekinesis to float another chair over to the bed. We sit in silence for a while before Five says "I know how you feel about him Six but we just have to be patient. Sorcery can't be rushed; otherwise the effects can do more harm than good."

I take in what she has told me and try to accept it. After another minute of silence I turn to Five and say "Thank you for saving him. I don't know how I could carry on without him. But I wish we could have met in better circumstances and been able save Sarah." Five nods grimly before she says "I made the proper arrangements to keep her body safe until we decide what to do." She pauses for a second before continuing "I can talk to John about it when he wakes up if you prefer."

I shake my head. "No I'll tell him. It might be easier if it comes from me." Five nods slowly and says "I understand." After checking John one more time, we get up and head to breakfast. As the three of us walk towards the kitchen, Five says "Nine told me he's making waffles for us." I grin at thought of Nine trying to cook and tell her "He's probably trying to impress you." Five laughs and we enter the kitchen.

The waffles are surprisingly good and I eat about seven. Eight and Marina are inseparable and Nine later whispers to me that they went on a date last night. I make a mental note to congratulate them later and am stunned to see Ella practicing telekinesis at the table. I give her a big hug and promise to help her develop it over the next few days. Once we finish and clean up, Five places a large envelope on the table. When she opens it, I see seven passports which she distributes around the table. I look at mine and see the name Maren Elizabeth but no picture. When I inquire why, Five tells me that she will take the picture here. Before I can ask where we are going, I hear Nine groan loudly. "Why is my name Bartholomew Bass? I sound like an old man with a name like that." We all laugh and Five tells him there's no time to change the name. "We can call you Bart if that makes you feel any better" she says.

"So where are we going?" asks Marina. "We are flying to my safe house in Argentina, where my Cepan is waiting for us. It's the perfect place to train and we can finally stop running and take the war to the Mogs. Also, we need a secure place to help John get better." Five says. We all go silent after the last part since none of us knows when John will be able to rejoin the fight. In order to break the uncomfortable silence Five tells us that her safe house is much bigger than this one and how she found Malcolm Goode and his son Sam. I immediately perk up when I hear that John and I will be reunited with Sam but then remember John won't be able to greet Sam. Nine interrupts my thoughts by asking Five how she intends to buy plane tickets to Argentina at one of the busiest airports in the world, get onto the plane with a known terrorist who is currently in a coma, and doing all this without catching the attention of the Mogs or authorities. Five smiles at him and asks "Who said anything about buying plane tickets?"

Three hours later we have taken our pictures and packed our clothes, weapons, and chests into the SUV that bought Five and I to the penthouse. Once again, the men that rescued John and I are ridding with us. Nine asks Five who these people are and she tells him that they are clones and androids of her Cepan that were created to help us win the war. The rest of us are stunned that Five and her Cepan have the technology to do this and when Nine asks her how, she smiles and promises to show us in Argentina.

In no time we are at O'Hera International airport, but instead of pulling up to the main entrance we drive to the entrance of the runway. Five gives the guard some paperwork, and he waves us through without any questions. A few minutes later we pull in front of a larger airplane hangar and get out of the car. Inside the hanger is the largest plane I have ever seen and the others gasp in awe. Nine turns to Five ads says "Now this is traveling in style." Thirty minutes later, we have loaded all our belongings in the plane, put John in the sick bay, and are pulling out onto the runway. Within minutes, we are in the air and Chicago is quickly fading in the distance.

As soon as we reach maximum altitude, Five tells us it's safe to walk around and we will reach our destination in about six hours. Then she offers to give us a tour. Her plane has a full kitchen, a gym, bedrooms, a bar, a dining room where we have lunch, bathrooms that have showers, a thousand gallon aquarium, and even a movie theater. When I ask how she and her Cepan afford all this, she tells me how they control a massive underworld empire and money is never an issue. Although we are all shocked that a Garde has chosen to become a successful international criminal, she explains that it was necessary in order to squire the resources to fight the Mogs.

As the plane continues to fly to Argentina I check on John and am about to take a nap in one of the other rooms when I see Marina. We decide to catch up and I ask her how things are with Eight. She smiles and says "He's amazing. I've never been so happy and I love the way he makes me feel when I'm around him." I'm happy that Marina finally found someone but the conversation turn serious when she asks about John. I tell her that I'm hopeful, but it's unlikely he will wake soon. Marina gives me a hug, tells me not to give up, and leaves me to take my nap.

Nine

The plane is absolutely amazing and I have explored every single inch of it. I only wish John was awake to enjoy it too. As I'm walking past the gym, I see Five working out. Right now she is lifting weights but after a few minutes she switches to the weapons station. She starts with a sword but then moves to throwing knives. I decide to join her and use telekinesis to bring six daggers into my hand. Five turns to watch and my first three attempts fail to hit the target. For the forth one, I use telekinesis to hit the bulls eye.

Five takes one of my knives and says "You're trying too hard. The idea is to use your wrist rather than your whole body. Like this" she holds the dagger by the blade and flicks it at the target with ease. I try to repeat her method but the knife refuses to stick. Five walks over to me and says "Your position is slightly off as well. You have to face the target rather than turning your body." She puts her hands around my waist and turns me around so I'm in the correct position. Her proximity makes me breathe a little faster and when I try again the blade sticks. She gives me a playful nudge in the ribs and says "See? There's nothing to it." When I turn to look at her I'm immediately drawn to her eyes and how outfit really brings out the color.

"I've always been more of a hand to hand combat guy."I say as I admire her perfect technique and her slender shoulders. She looks at me and with a sly grin says "That sounds like a challenge Nine." I grin back and say "I want to see what you got." Five takes a step towards me and says "The last guy who challenged me was left very dissatisfied. Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Our chests are practically touching when I say "I'm positive." Five places her hand on my chest to get past me and says "Good. I've been looking for worthy sparring partner for some time."

As she leaves, she turns back and says "There's someone whose been looking forward to seeing you by the way." "Who?" I ask. "You'll see when we land" she says as she gives a wave and leaves me alone in the gym.

An hour and half later, the plane is landing on the runway in Buenos Aires and pulls into a hanger identical to the one in Chicago. As we pull out our luggage, Five informs us that her safe house is surrounded by mountains and we will take a helicopter ride there. Then she tells us that there are a few others that will accompany us and she will introduce us. She disembarks first, followed by Eight, Marina, Six who is pushing John in a wheelchair, Ella, BK, and then I.

After a quick ride in a shuttle, we arrive in another hanger. As I enter the new hanger I see five people standing by the copter talking to Five. When the rest of us get closer, Five walks over and says "I'd like you guys to meet my Cepan Hannibal, Malcolm and Sam Goode, and the two men over to the side are our new combat instructor and my new chief technician. The combat instructor is a very tall man with chestnut colored hair and serious eyes."

As I'm shaking his hand, I hear the other Garde gasp in shock and when I turn around I see their mouths are all hanging open. Ella is crying and I'm about to ask what's wrong when the technician says "Hello my young ward." I whip around and I suddenly feel my heart stop. "No" I say. _It's impossible_ I tell myself. The technician is dressed in a white suit, has a short beard, and when he offers me his hand I see that it is made of metal. "It's good to see you again Nine" says Sandor.

**Did anyone see that coming? How do you think Sandor and Crayton managed to return? I welcome any guesses as to how it happened and will give a shoutout to whomever has the closest guess. Please don't forget to review. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Here it is, Chapter 10. Im glad you all enjoyed that cliffhanger and want to give a shoutout to the real number five who was closest to guessing how Sandor and Crayton came back and the nice review and rayraybrooks for the very generous compliment. This chapter will reveal some of Five's secrets and her legacies. One more thing, for those of you who have not read it, I highly recommend the Return of Lorien by iwishicouldbenumberfive, it's much better than my story and much longer. Please remember to review. **

Chapter 10

Nine

As I struggle to say something, I see Ella run towards the combat instructor and ask "Papa? Is it really you?" Papa? I think to myself as the others come closer. "Crayton? Is this real?" I hear Marina ask as Ella gives him a hug and cries into his shoulder. "Yes Marina we are both alive and standing in front of you" he says after picking Ella up in his arms.

The shock of seeing Sandor again is finally too much to bear and I feel tears on my face as I grip Sandor by the shoulders and hug him. "Ugh" says Sandor after I release him from a bone crushing hug. "You've gotten stronger my young ward" he says with a grin. I wipe my face with a smile before the others can see and turn to Five.

"How is this possible? I saw him die. I was there." I say not wanting to tell the others how I was forced to kill Sandor. Five watches Crayton and Ella's tearful embrace for a moment before turning to me and says "It's the Loralite. I discovered that when a Loric dies, his or her soul can be stored in any nearby Loralite if they are pure of heart. Using a little magic, I can return the soul to the body and restore their life." I am utterly amazed that Five has the power to do this and before I know what I'm doing I walk over and embrace Five.

"Thank you Five. I'm not sure I understand it but thank you for saving Sandor. You're amazing." My face turns a bit red at the last bit but Five only smiles and says "Don't mention it Nine. We need all the help we can get." Ella who finally lets go of Crayton also comes over to embrace Five who now looks slightly embarrassed with all the attention she is receiving.

As we board the helicopter, Sandor taps me on the shoulder and hands me a necklace he was wearing around his neck. "This is yours, it's what brought me back" he says. When I look down at the necklace, I see it is identical to the ones that other Grade all wear. As I put in on, I turn to Sandor and say "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you and for being stupid and... Maddy." Sandor looks back at me with sad eyes before giving me another hug and whispering "It's not your fault. I was exactly the same at your age. I'm sorry I treated you like one of my gadgets. Besides, we're here now so don't dwell too much on the past." Admiring the Loralite in pendant one last time I board the copter just as it takes off.

The view is utterly spectacular from above as we pass over trees, jungle, rivers and mountains. I am so busy taking in the scenery I almost don't want the ride to stop when we land an hour later.

Although I was impressed by the view from above, the house completely blows me out of the water. Even though we are standing nearly half a mile away, the house still looks enormous. And that's not all, I see a marina where a massive yacht is docked, farms, wind turbines, and countless other buildings whose purpose I can't even guess at. While we are all marveling at the magnitude of our new base of operations, a shuttle bus like the ones I've seen inside airports pulls up.

When the driver gets out, I see it's a boy slightly younger than us but I get an uneasy sensation when he walks towards us. After I get a closer look, I see that the boy is way too pale for a normal human and am about to pull out my pipe staff until Five puts her hands on my shoulder. "Everyone" she says. "This is Adam. I know he's a Mog but he is on our side. He defected from the Mog cause and acquired the Legacy of creating earthquakes. So please don't kill him."

I'm completely confused as to how a Mog got a Legacy but decide to ask Five about it later. As Adam introduces himself, I look over towards Five and wonder what other secrets she has. After we make introductions, Five has a quick word with Six, steps onto the shuttle and asks "Whose ready for a tour of Olympus?"

Six

Just before the tour starts, Five tells me that John will be taken to the house and how I can have the room next to his. I nod my thanks and try to pay attention to what she says during the tour. Apparently, Five and her Cepan are the heads of a massive crime syndicate called the Society of Shadows. They formed the group using Five's mind control to consolidate power from separate kingpins and gain control over all the crime in South America. From there, they branched all over the world and now make money whenever something is bought and sold on the black market.

Despite the reservations I initially have about Five's business, she goes on to explain how the various enterprises provide the necessary funds and resources we desperately need to fight the Mogs. The estate is over a five thousand acres and the house itself is over two hundred thousand square feet. Five tells us the whole estate is powered by clean solar and wind power and nearly several thousand troops and personal live here. When we finally approach the house, we see a large tiger guards the entrance.

Before I can react, the tiger walks toward us and turns into a huskie. "Everyone, this is my Chimera Nymeria. She was one of the Chimera on the second ship from Lorien that brought Crayton and Ella here. The others were found with Crayton's help and we keep them in the zoo here. I promise I will show them to you later. Nymeria says it's nice to meet all of you by the way."

I'm surprised that she can talk to animals and found the remaining Chimera, but Nine seems to be rather pleased and immediately starts petting and conversing with Nymeria. BK also seems very happy and starts barking and wagging his tail at a curious rate.

As everyone is admiring Nymeria, Sam comes to stand beside me. "So what do you think of our new hideout?" he asks. "Much better than the dingy places we were hiding in back in Florida" I respond. We both grin at the memories of being on the run but my smile quickly fades when Sam says "I'm so sorry about John and Sarah." I fall silent until Sam puts his arm around me and says "Thanks for saving John. He's the only friend I ever had and don't know if I could live with myself if he died." I give Sam a hug but before I can respond, Five resumes the tour.

The last stop we make is the massive indoor gym and dojo located in the basement of the house. Virtually every type of exercising machine known to man appears to be in this gym while the walls are covered with an impressive array of weapons from swords to nunchucks. "This is the gym where we will be doing most of our training and workouts. We also have a few virtual reality stations that allow us to practice various combat situations. But for those of you who prefer hand to hand combat, this gym has virtual indestructible walls and we have plenty of qualified instructors" she casts a meaningful glance at Nine who just grins back. "In fact" she adds "Nine told me on the plane what a great fighter he is and volunteered to try the gym out first."

We all turn to look at Nine who seems a bit taken aback at first but slowly nods his head. "Bring it on Five" he says. "What are you going to throw at me? Androids? Clones? Your Chimera perhaps?" He walks over to the weapons wall while he talks, admiring all the dangerous toys and probably thinking which one he'll try first. Five however doesn't respond right away and instead walks over to the other side of the gym and flicks a switch which causes all the treadmills and weight lifting devices to descend into the floor. "No Nine" she says "You're going to be fighting me."

Nine

Ten minutes later, Five and I have changed into black workout outfits while the others have taken seats around the gym to witness my impending victory. I see Sandor give me a thumbs up while the others are smiling with anticipation of what is to come. Five stands to my right and when I look at her my eyes are immediately drawn to how the tight but comfortable outfit flaunts the shape her body. My thoughts are interrupted when Hannibal claps his hands loudly for silence.

"You both know the rules" he says. "The object is to knock your opponent out or persuade them to tap out. Legacies are allowed but do not attempt to hurt the other person, the idea is to incapacitate. We don't want any unnecessary injuries. The match will start in five…four…three…two…one. Now!" Five I and circle each other as we both look for an opening. I make the first strike when I fake a punch to the face while I attempt a kick at Five's side. Much to my surprise she anticipates the fake punch and blocks my kick.

Five then follows her block with a quick jab to my ribs and a punch to my right shoulder. I take a step backwards before blocking her next punch and use my super speed to deliver a swift jab into her gut. Five gives a grunt of pain before slamming her right heel directly onto my left foot and using my momentary distraction to sweep my legs out from under me.

I'm up in an instant but Five launches herself into the air and directs a spinning kick at my chest which I catch and use to throw her to the ground. However, Five gets up, grabs me by the waist and when she jumps into the air we hover several feet above the ground. By the time I realize we are flying, Five throws me face first into the wall, and I think I feel a rib crack. Luckily, my anti gravity kicks in and I run up the ceiling with Five flying nearby.

Once I reach the ceiling, the world turns upside down as I flip around and score a solid punch to Five's face. She recovers quickly however and kicks at my legs, which causes me to lose my grip on the ceiling and fall back the ground. I land on my feet and just manage to dodge Five as she lands directly where I was standing two seconds ago. We resume the fight, and each release and onslaught of kicks and punches at each other. Suddenly, Five grabs right arm when I attempt a punch and delivers a series of quick blows at various points on my arm. At first, I don't realize what happened until my arm explodes in pain and I lose all the sensation and control over it.

My right arm hangs uselessly as I use my left one and my super speed to block all incoming hits. Finally, I place a well aimed kick at her ribs causing her to cry out in pain and turn her back to me as she clutches her side. This is it I think as I rush forward to deliver a final blow. Just as I'm about to knock Five off of her feet, she suddenly straightens ups and drives her elbow into my gut.

As I gasp for air, she pulls my left arm forward and looks up at me without turning around. Then to my utter shock, she brings her face directly into mine and our lips briefly touch as she flips me over her shoulders and onto the ground. Once I'm down, her foot comes down on my sternum and my world explodes into pain. Gasping for breath, I faintly hear Five asking me if I yield. Seeing that I am unable to continue fighting I slowly nod my consent.

The others have started getting up and are now coming over to see if I'm alright. Five and I are both breathing heavily and my cracked rib is starting to throb with pain. Five notices my pain and uses her telekinesis to float a healing stone into her hand. As she applies the stone to my injury, I think back to the fight and contemplate how she beat me so easily.

After the stone does its magic, Five offers me her hand and I gratefully accept it. I see the others are trying very hard not to laugh while Sandor gives me a sly wink. Once again I find myself admiring Five's good looks and now have a new appreciation for her skills as a fighter. She looks back at me before offering her hand and saying "You fight very well Nine, but I can help you get better." "I look forward to the rematch" I say as I shake her hand. Five nods before turning to the others.

"Dinner will be ready in about two hours. Feel free to pick out your rooms and a change of clothes. Make sure to come hungry, we have a whole feast tonight. Oh, and one more thing, a few members of my staff will be joining us so don't be shy."As she walks off, I keep my eyes on her until she leaves the gym. Eight comes behind me and smacks me on the back. "Geez Nine that was some fight. I was rooting for you though and lost a bet with Marina. What do you think went wrong?" I replay the kiss in my mind before replying "I think I'm in love."

Seven

The house is absolutely amazing. Five showed us a swimming pool, bowling alley, the kitchen, the movie theater, the spa, the dining hall, and of course the training gym. As I remember the fight, I can't help smiling at the way she took down Nine. I think she and Six will get on very well.

Ella and I have decided to share a room and I'm waiting for her to come out of the bathroom so we can go down to dinner. As I'm waiting for her to come out, Eight walks in.

"Hello beautiful" he says. I blush as he walks over and gives me a kiss. It's a soft kiss but my heart flutters as his lips brush mine and return it with passionate kiss. "Hey yourself" I reply back. "You ready for dinner?" He asks gazing out the window his hand around my waist. "Starving" I respond nuzzling his neck.

"Me too" he says before giving me a naughty smile. "But not for food." I push him and he stumbles onto the bed. "Pervert" I say but I grin back and lean down to give him another kiss. Eight then pulls me closer and increases the intensity of his kiss. I stroke his face and wish I could stay like this forever but we are interrupted by the bathroom door opening.

Eight and I look up to see Ella starring back at us with a red face. "Keep it under control you two. I'm here too in case you forgot." Eight smiles like a kid on Christmas as I push him off of me and try to straighten my clothes. Ella quickly dries her hair and the three of us head down to dinner while Eight and I hold hands.

When we finally arrive in the dining room, I see Sandor, Nine, Adam, Sam, Malcolm, Hannibal and Crayton are all seated but Five remains standing along with six other men. Once we enter she waves at us to come over. "Glad you could join us" says Five giving Eight and I a knowing look.

I blush but she winks at me at gestures to the men standing around her. "Eight, Marina and Ella I'd like to introduce the three of you to my personal trainers and good friends standing here with me. This is Captain Ryan Hawk a former SEAL, Lt. Robert Valmont a former Green Beret, Captain Jason Lestrade former SAS, Major Sergei Gregorovich former Spetsnaz, Captain William Reese former Delta Force and the last man is Tywin Clegane. They have been with me for several years and are all professionals at what they do. In addition to being trained killers, they are all enemies of the Mogadorians and very important allies. "

I take a moment to observe the men standing in front of me. Captain Hawk is clean shaven, has brown hair, blue eyes and an easy going smile. Lt Valmont is bald, has dark skin, a beard, brown eyes and several tattoos across his arms. Captain Lestrade is also bald, but is fair skinned, has dark grey eyes, a hooked nose, and speaks with a strong British accent. Major Gregorovich has black hair, dark blue eyes that looks almost violet, is very pale, and speaks with a heavy Russian accent. Captain Reese has grey hair, is tan, and seems to be the tallest one in the room.

However it's Tywin that I spend the most time observing. Unlike the other men who stand well above six feet, are very muscular, and are all in their twenties or thirties, Tywin looks middle aged and is rather thin. Also, he has light blonde hair and bright green eyes that have an indescribable intensity to them like someone who is addicted to caffeine. Additionally, I have the oddest sensation that I've seen him before today.

As if she can sense my perplexity, Five asks "Do any of you recognize Tywin by any chance?" When we all shake our heads no, she makes a shocking revelation. "Well, if he seems familiar to any of you it's because he is the pilot that flew our ship to Earth as well as the plane that brought us from Chicago."Immediately we all stand up to express our gratitude to Tywin for bringing us here. Without him, we would have died on the day of the invasion.

As we are making introductions and shaking hands, dinner starts to arrive so we take our seats. The first course is a creamy potato and leek soup that is rich in flavor and leaves my stomach begging for more. Next, we are served several oysters with a spicy red sauce that burns my mouth but is so delicious I don't care. The third course is a small assortment of different cheese served with bread. This is followed by the main course which is juicy pork tenderloin in wine reduction gravy that comes with mashed potatoes and vegetables. The fifth course is assorted fruit and the grand conclusion is a four layer, dark chocolate rum cake served with vanilla gelato and drizzled with a raspberry sauce.

In between courses, we make small talk with the people sitting next to us. After Ella tells Crayton how she developed telekinesis the other day, Five asks us to go around and share our Legacies. When Ella reveals she also has telepathy, Five takes a special interest in her. "That's amazing" says Five. "Do you know what that means Ella?" Ella shakes her head no. "It means that you are in the early stages of developing mind control. Over the next few weeks I can teach you how to practice it." Ella is practically dancing in her seat with joy, and I grin at the sight.

When it's Five's turn, she reveals that in addition to flying and talking to animals, she can control minds, create force fields, element control, control over technology, has an ability called molecule rearrangement, has energy absorption as her master Legacy, and is skilled in Loric Sorcery. None of us have ever heard of the last three so Nine asks her to elaborate.

First she demonstrates the molecule rearrangement by bring my spoon into her hand. Five concentrates for a moment and before our eyes, the spoon turns from silver to a solid yellow. At first I don't understand what she did until she says "I changed the molecular composition of the silver spoon and turned it to solid gold. If I had a rock, I could turn it into a gemstone." She then goes on to explain how her master Legacy allows her to absorb any type of energy whether it is solar, kinetic, or even nuclear and use it to increase her own speed and strength or shot blasts of energy from her hands. Five is about to tell us about Loric Sorcery but the next course comes and she promises to show us tomorrow.

By the end, I'm so stuffed I start to have trouble moving and fear that if I do move, my bloated stomach will rip my clothes. Somehow Nine and Five still have some room in their stomachs and are finishing the rest of the cake with some coffee. While we sit and digest our meal, Ella asks Sandor how he ended up with a metal hand. At first I'm concerned Sandor will be offended, but he just smiles grimly and tells us the story.

"It all started after the Mogs caught Nine. They used a girl named Maddy to get close to him and when our guard was down, they took him. I spent months looking for him and finally thought I caught a break in Ohio but it was a trap. I swallowed the Loralite charm to try and prevent them from recognizing me but they did any ways. After they caught me, they took me to West Virginia and started torturing me for information. When I wouldn't talk they made Nine watch from behind a force field and hoped he would break. After a few weeks of cutting me, the bastards cut all the fingers off my right hand. A few days after that, Nine broke out of the force field and took down the two Mogs that were in the torture room. I knew I couldn't fight, and since Nine couldn't use his Legacies for some reason so I asked him to end my pain."

After Sandor reveals the last bit, we all turn to look at Nine. The memory of what he went through is clearly very painful and I can see tears in his eyes. Suddenly Nine's attitude and the way he acts around girls slowly starts to make sense. My heart aches for the terrible thing he had to do for Sandor and Five takes his hand.

Sandor then continues the story. "I saw darkness and thought I had reached the end of my life. But death did not come. I was trapped in the darkness for some time but awoke here. Five resurrected me and told me she stole my body from a Mog facility in Canada. It wasn't until later I found out that almost seven months had passed since my death. Unfortunately, sorcery can only go so far and she couldn't regrow my fingers. So instead, she built be a new hand for me and it's just as good as the original."

After Sandor finishes his story, we all sit in as stunned silence. Losing your Cepan is one thing, but being forced to kill your Cepan is a whole other level of loss. Five then announces how it is getting very late and we should all get some rest. We all agree and start to get up from our seats. I however am still way too full to move and just watch as everyone else goes over to their rooms. Off in a corner I see Five and Nine are talking in hushed tones but am too tired to try and listen to what they are saying. Then Eight comes over and asks if I'm feeling all right.

"No" I say. "Way too full from dinner. Remind me never to eat this much again." Eight grins at begins to stroke my hair as he nuzzles my neck and whispers "I can carry you upstairs." I grin at the idea and whisper back "Will you tuck me in as well?" "Of course" he says as he picks me up in his arms and we walk over to the elevator. In the elevator, I stroke Eight's face and say "Don't get any ideas." He smiles and plants a passionate kiss on my lips. "Wouldn't dream of it." I sigh and feel my eyes start to droop_. I could get used to this treatment _I think as the elevator comes to as stop and Eight walks into my room.


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you all for the very nice reviews, they make all the writing and planning worth it. Sorry I haven't posted for awhile. I was busy preparing for my driving test and had to wait over four hours at the DMV to get my driving license. This is the longest chapter so far, and I hope it was worth the wait. **

Chapter 11

Seven

It's been six weeks since we arrived in Argentina and everyone loves it here. Everyone except Six that is. It's not that she hates it but I've noticed some subtle changes about Six since we've arrived. When we train, her strikes are only halfhearted, she barely eats at meals, and she spends all of her free time alone with John.

My heart breaks for her and I know the others are aware of her pain as well. But whenever we try to talk about it with her, she just shuts us out. It pains me to see Six who is the strongest and bravest person I've ever met to fall apart like this. The others have noticed as well and try their best to cheer her up but nothing we do seems to work.

As I'm about to head down to breakfast, I see John's door is slightly ajar and decide to investigate. When I curiously enter the room, I see Six sitting in a chair with her back to me and facing John. I pull a second chair over and sit beside her. Three minutes pass before I finally have the courage to say "It's time for breakfast Six." "I'm not hungry" she replies.

I take a deep breath. "Six…please talk to me. I'm worried about you, what happened to John wasn't you're fault. We can't fight the Mogs without you. You can't help John by sitting here all the time." Unfortunately, that was the wrong thing to say and Six stands up with a scowl on her face and turns to face me. Her eyes are blood shot and baggy from lack of sleep and her hair which is still half blonde and half brown is tangled and in disarray. I'm afraid she is going to start yelling at me, but she just lets out a deep sigh in instead and buries her face in her hands. "I'm sorry Marina it's just that I could have saved John and Sarah but I was too slow and she died. Now I'm afraid John will hate me if he ever wakes up."

I close the distance between us and embrace her as she sobs into my shoulder. "It's going to be okay Six. John will pull through. It's not your fault. " I whisper along with other soothing words. When Six finally calms down she smiles at me and says "Thank you Marina. I needed that" "What are sisters for?" I tell her. After she takes a quick shower and a change of clothes, Six looks as good as new and we go down together.

After a hearty breakfast of eggs and bacon, we follow the others to the gym where we have been training and receiving lessons about Lorien. The hand to hand combat lessons are taught by Reese, Lestrade, or Valmont while the weapons training is handled by either Gregorovich or Hawk. Hannibal and Crayton dabble in both while Five tries to teach the rest of us about Loric Sorcery. Today, I see Gregorovich and Hawk standing in the gym. "Good morning everyone" says Hawk. "Today we are going to have a firearm lesson. Who here has fired a gun before?" We all raise our hands. "Good" says Hawk. "Now who can tell me the first thing you should check for when you are given a gun." "How much ammunition you have" I say. "That's very good Marina" says Hawk "but it's not the absolute first thing you should check. Anyone else have an idea?" "Check the safety" says Nine. Hawk nods his head "Exactly. The safety is a small switch found slightly above the trigger and allows you to control whether your weapon can be fired. All you have to do is set it to on or off. The next thing you should do is check the ammo."

After covering a few more basics about the correct and incorrect ways to hold a gun, we head upstairs and leave the house to walk to the armory. The armory is a large warehouse shaped building located about two miles behind the main house. There are multiple guards patrolling the building and both Hawk and Gregorovich must complete a hand and retinal scan. Once we step inside, I let out a gasp of shock. The armory has over a thousand rows of shelves and weapons cover all of them. I see rocket launchers, rifles, machine guns, a few Mog cannons, and countless other weapons which I can not we marvel at the tools of destruction that surround us, Hawk walks over to a small table where three guns sit while Gregorovich stands off to the side.

Hawk picks up the biggest one first and I see Nine rub his hands together with an excited look on his face. "This is an M16 assault rifle" says Hawk. "It is the standard weapon of the US army but is used all over the world by both governments and insurgents. It can hold up to thirty rounds and can be equipped with either a bayonet or grenade launcher if you desire." "I call dibs on that one" says Nine. "Sorry Nine, Five already called dibs on that one" Hawk says as he hands the gun to Five. The next gun is a pistol that looks large even in Hawk's hand. "This is a Sig Sauer P226. It's the standard side arm of many military organizations including the SEALs and has a fifteen round magazine." Hawk then proceeds to give it to Adam. The final gun is the smallest gun and I see Nine looks a bit disappointed. "This is a Glock 20 semi automatic pistol. It's the standard weapon of most police forces and one of the most popular civilian hand guns." Hawk then hands it to Nine.

Nine looks down at his gun and then at Five's gun. Five gives Nine a bright smile and says "The size of hardware doesn't matter Nine, it's how you use it." Nine rolls eyes with an amused look while the rest of us laugh. Gregorovich slaps Nine on the back and in says "Take it from a professional Russian my friend. Your aim is the only thing at really matters. Women are more impressed with a man who can hit target." Hawk shakes his head and hands out the same guns to the rest of us and hands me one of the Glocks. "So who's ready to fire these?"

Nine

After four hours of target practice, it's time to do some combat practice. Marina pairs with Eight, Adam partners with Sam, Six chooses Ella, and I am left with Five. Crayton and Hannibal have come out to watch us, while Captain Hawk, and Sergei stand off the side to watch. Lestrade, who took over after we finished with the guns tells us that we won't be allowed to use Legacies but are allowed one non-lethal weapon. He chooses Five and I to go first.

I grin, take my folded up pipe staff from my pocket and extend it to its full length. I spin it around in my hand and look over at Five. She looks back at me and pulls something that looks like a blue running baton from her pocket. She presses a button on the side of it and it extends into a pipe staff not unlike mine. Then, Five presses another button, and blue electricity sparks from the ends of her staff. She grins at me at motions me with her hand to come forward. _Let's go_ I say to myself as I charge.

I sweep my staff at her legs, but she just jumps over it and swings her staff at me. I block it just in time and counter with a jab to her right side. My hit makes contact, but Five just grimaces and hits me in the back of the head with her staff. She dodges my next strike and hits me across the chest. I drive her back with a jab to the face, but she plants her staff in the ground and uses it to swing around and kick me in the face.

I go down and Five uses the opportunity to retrieve her staff. I block the next few hits from Five but her staff manages to get under my guard and the top of it touches my chest. I get hit with a powerful electric shock that pushes me back ten feet. I struggle to get up and see Five adjusting something on the side of her staff. Probably turning up the voltage I think to myself. Seeing her distraction as an opportunity, I release a fury of strikes and jabs forcing Five into a defensive stance. Suddenly, I see an opening and land a solid hit on Five's wrist. She gasps in pain, drops her weapon, and I feel almost guilty as I grab her staff with telekinesis and use it to sweep her legs from underneath her.

I hold a staff in each hand and place one on her chin. "Do you yield?" I ask her. She tries to kick my legs but since I was expecting her to do that, I use her staff to lightly tap her arm with the electric end. Five lets out a cute yelp and pouts before she says "I yield." Grinning, I give her a hand and pull her up. The others are congratulating me on finally winning a combat round against Five. Even Hannibal is nodding with a small degree of admiration. Lestrade claps his hands and asks everyone to settle down. "Nice job Nine" he says. "The next round will be Eight and Marina. After everyone has a turn, we will train for another hour and then you're free for the rest of the day." I take a seat and rub my new bruises. Five sits next to me and says "Well played Nine." "Thanks. You weren't too bad either." She smiles and turns to face me. Even after six weeks, my heart still races when I look into those eyes, and suddenly I become self conscious of how much I'm sweating. "You have something I need" she says. "And what might that be?" "This" she says pulling her folded staff from my pocket. I laugh and say "I thought I would hold onto it for awhile until you beat me in combat or ask me out." She laughs and smacks me on the arm. "Keep dreaming handsome."

A few hours after we finish training for the day, I go to my room and turn on my shower to full heat. I let the scalding hot water run down my body and sigh as the water soothes my various bruises across my back and chest. Just as I'm starting to relax, someone starts knocking intently on my door. I groan loudly and turn the shower off wondering who is disturbing me. I wrap a towel around my waist and the knocking intensifies. "Alright!" I shout. "I'm coming, there's no need to knock every two seconds." I rip open the door expecting to see Six or Eight, but instead I see Five in a dark red, low cut dress with matching high heels. In other words, she's a total knockout.

We look at each other for a few seconds before I manage to say "Well this is a surprise." "The nice kind?" Five asks as she walks into my room. "The best kind" I reply. She smiles before using telekinesis to shut the door. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?" I ask Five as she walks over to the bed. She takes a seat and crosses her legs. I remain standing and start to wish I had put on some clothes before I opened the door.

"I have to make an errand in Buenos Aires and was wondering if you would be willing to accompany me" Five says. I'm so surprised by her offer I almost drop my towel. "Why me?" I ask. Five gets up and walks toward me. "I have need of...your skills" she says. "Are you asking out on a date Five?" "Not if you're going to say no" and when she speaks I notice the mischievous look in her eyes.

"Alright" I say. "I'm game for a little excitement." "Wonderful" says Five. Then she looks down at my chest and takes notice of all the bruises covering my body. She starts tracing the outline of the bruises with her fingers and I feel tingles on my skin where she touches me. "You should really get these looked at. Did I do all that?" she asks me.

I'm seriously struggling to maintain eye content with Five at this point, but I manage to say "Yep. This is just the last two weeks." Five stops moving her hand and say" I promise I'll take it easy tomorrow. I'll meet you in the front in ten. There should be some proper clothes in your closet."

"Why?" I ask half joking. "Am I underdressed?" Five grins. "A shirt might be nice for starters. I take a body builder pose. "What? Does this ... distract you? Five looks me up and down and says "I've seen better." I put a hand over my heart and pretend to be hurt. But then I see Five smile slyly. "Then again" she says, "I haven't seen all of you quite yet." She makes a quick motion with her hand and I don't understand what's going on until I feel the towel around my waist start to fall. I grab it just in time and retreat to the bathroom as Five laughs at me and leaves the room.

After going through my closet, I put on a nice blazer, with a blue shirt, dress pants and for shoes, I find a pair of loafers. When I get downstairs, Five is already waiting for me. She looks up as I approach and says "Good choice, Hugo Boss is always stylish." I grin and sigh in relief, happy that she approves of the clothes. Before I lose my nerve, I offer her my arm and feel a rush when she takes it. We head to the hanger where we board one of Five's helicopters and take a short flight to Buenos Aires. When we come out of the airport, I see a black Lamborghini Murcielago parked on the curb. Then, driver of the car gets out and hands Five the keys. I am momentarily concerned that Five just used her mind control to car jack that guy, but my concern is quickly resolved when Five turns to me and says "Don't worry, the car belongs to me." She gets into the driver's side and I admire the car one more time before getting in.

We drive through the city for about half an hour until we stop in front of a large skyscraper. I look around to try and figure out why we stopped and my confusion only grows when I see Five remove a small yellow stone from her bag with telekinesis. She turns to face me and when she speaks, her voice has taken on a serious tone. "This is a piece of Xitharis. It allows one Garde to loan one of their Legacies to another for an hour. I had Six charge this with her invisibility Legacy and I need you to use it for our errand." "What do you need me to do?" I ask her. She points to another larger skyscraper about two blocks away. "Do you see that building" I nod my head. "That building is a top secret Mog facility where they design a big portion of their weapons and computer systems. I need you to use your antigravity to climb to the thirty-fifth floor and steal a computer chip for me and plant a virus into their system." "How am I going to find the chip and plant the virus?"

Five pulls a printed sheet from her bag and hands it to me. I look down at the contents and see a very detailed picture of the chip and according to the description; the chip has something to do with satellite communications. Then, Five hands me a flash drive and says "The virus is on the drive. It will give me total control of the building's security and electronic systems. I nod my head prepared to leave but one last thought enters my mind. "How will I get in?"

"Just punch through the window" she says. "What about the alarms?" I ask. "The floor can only be reached with elevator" says Five. If you put the drive into the first computer you see, I can shut the elevators down or make them think it's a false alarm. Once you have the chip, take the drive with you. I need the information on those computers."

We drive towards the building and Five hands me the Xitharis. I keep it hovering above my hands with telekinesis in order to conserve its power. Five presses a button on the wheel and smoke starts to spill out from under the engine and through the hood. Right before I step out, Five says "Hey Nine." I turn around and she cups my face and pulls me towards her. When our lips touch, she kisses me with a passion that makes my heart stop. She pulls away and with a grin says "Don't die on me now." I nod mutely and get out.

As soon as I touch the Xitharis, I turn invisible and start running up the building. Below me, I see the car smoking and two security guards walk over as Five get out and pretend to not understand what's going on. Focusing on the task at hand, I use my super speed to race up the building, and arrive at the thirty-fifth floor in seconds. Then, using my super strength, I punch through the window like it's made of plastic.

Like I expected, alarms blare but after I put Five's flash drive in a nearby computer they quickly turn silent. I look around and see that I'm in some sort of laboratory with computers, pristine white walls, and what looks like surgical equipment. I begin my search and after fifteen minutes of looking, I find it. It's sitting on a work table sounded by sketches and various tools. When I pick the chip up, I see it's about twenty seven centimeters long, black, and covered in wires and circuits. Having accomplished my mission, I run back to the computer, remove the drive, and walk out the window.

Upon reaching the ground, I see the car has stopped smoking and Five is busy talking to the two guards in Spanish. They laugh at something she says and walk back inside. Once they're gone, I make myself visible and give Five her Xitharis, the chip, and the flash drive. She grins at me and throws me the keys. "Great job Nine. Lets to get some dinner." As I pull away from the building, I see Five pull what looks like a cell phone from her bag and she starts typing something. Within seconds of this, there is a massive explosion from the upper floor of the building we just left. I look at Five in shock and back at the explosion which has consumed an entire floor. Five tells me to keep driving and says "I turned on all the gas as soon as you started coming down. It was only a matter of flicking on a lighter to create a spark and erase our tracks." I nod and follow the directions Five gives me. As we drive away, I hear sirens blare in the distance as Five says "Nothing better than messing up the Mogs' plans."

After having dinner at a restaurant recommended by Five, we go clubbing at a few of the clubs Five and Hannibal own. It between dancing, Five introduces me to a drink called fernet. Apparently, this is a national drink in Argentina and almost everyone in the club is having some. When I take my first shot, the first taste that comes to mind is licorice and herbs. I feel a burning sensation as it goes down but soon experience warmth spreading through my chest. I order another and before I know it, Five and I have finished off a whole bottle.

By the time we call it a night, it's after eleven and I'm feeling rather lightheaded. Five drives and we soon pull into the parking garage of a large residential building. Five walks over to the elevator and punches in a code to summon it. I stubble a bit as I walk over and feel very unstable as the elevator rises. Luckily, Five notices and allows me to lean on her for support. When the elevator stops, I see we are standing in a penthouse every bit as luxurious as the one I left behind in Chicago.

Five helps me walk over to a nearby sofa and when I sit down, I quickly lie down. Five goes into the kitchen and comes back with a glass of water. She hands it to me and I gulp it down. The pounding in my head starts to lessen a bit but I still feel off balance. Five strokes the side of my face and says "You did a fantastic job today Nine, thanks for doing this for me." I grin and slur my words slightly as I say "Ha. We should do it again sometime." I put myself in a sitting position and Five puts her head on my left shoulder. "I had a great time tonight" I tell her. She smiles back and says ""Me too." We sit like this for a minute until Five says "I just remembered. We never discussed the subject of payment." "Payment?" I ask. "Yeah" Five says. "Every great thief has to be paid for their work. What would you like? Money? Jewels? A car? Maybe a whole week of free time?"

I pause for a moment before saying "I think I'd prefer another kiss from you." Five pushes me down on the sofa and whispers "That can be arranged." She leans down and gives me an intense kiss that I never want to end. I kiss her back with the same intensity and as I kiss her, I feel my blazer being taken off and thrown over the sofa. _This is going to be a long night _I think to myself as I place a kiss along Five's neck. _You have no idea_ I hear Five say back.

Six

It's nearly midnight and once again I find myself alone in John's room. For the past few weeks this has become my routine. Whenever I try to sleep I'm plagued by nightmares and when I can't sleep I go to John's room. In my nightmares, I am back in the desert of New Mexico. My Legacies have deserted me and I'm fighting Setrakus Ra while he slowly chokes John to death. Whenever I try to reach John, Setrakus Ra hits me with his whip and swings a sword at my head. I always see the sword coming, but just before it takes my head off, I wake up. In order to stop the dreams, I try to stay up the whole night. I feel terrible the next day, but the nightmares are so bad, I rather stay awake and deal with the consequences. This past week has been particularly horrible and each day I've been sleeping less than four hours a night.

I hold John's hand and try to remember happier times like when we were in Florida or when he rescued me in New Mexico. I try to find someone to blame for his predicament like Sarah or Five, but in my heart I know that Sarah was pressured and Five is doing the best she can. Unfortunately, this sentiment does little to ease my despair and sense of uselessness. For the first time in a very long time, I feel tears running down my cheek and can't believe I'm crying.

The last time I ever cried this much was when Katarina died in West Virginia and angrily try to wipe my tears away. I stroke John's face before taking his hand in mine. "John" I whisper. "If you can hear my voice, if you're still in there, please show me a sign. Anything. I miss you John, I need you." For a split second I think I feel his hand squeeze back but soon realize it's just my imagination.

I'm just about to leave when John suddenly takes a deep breath and blue light starts to radiate from his body. His pendant is glowing brightly and his body starts to thrash as he exhales loudly. His continued spasms are seriously beginning to concern me and I'm about to run for help when John suddenly opens his eyes and turns to look at me.

"Six" he finally rasps "Where are we?" I am so stunned by this turn of events I am at lost for words. So instead, I run over, hold him close and burry my face into his chest and cry with relief. At first I'm afraid he'll push me off but he just holds me closer. After I calm down a bit, I turn to look at him and his piercing blue eyes which I've missed so much. "John what's the last thing you remember?" I ask him. He thinks for a moment. "After Walker poisoned me, I saw a girl break into the truck, she said something to you, and then I passed out." "Is that it?" I ask.

John shakes his head. "After that the whole world turned dark. I could move around but I wasn't able to see a thing. Every once in a while I'd hear your voice but nothing else. How long was I out for?" I take a deep breath. "You've been in a coma for over six weeks. We are staying at Five's place in Argentina. She's the girl that saved your life. John I've missed you so much and I'm so sorry about Sarah. I should have saved both of you. If you're going to blame anyone for what happened, you can blame me."

John remains silent for a very long time before he says "No Six. I've had over a month to think about it and it's my fault. I dragged Sarah into this not you. Then I started falling for you and I don't know if my relation with Sarah was going to last longer than it did. My only regret is I never told her how sorry I was and how I never said goodbye." A few tears fall from John's eyes but I wipe them away and whisper "She's in a better place John."

After I comfort John, he brushes my hair from my face and says "You look like you haven't slept in weeks Six. Are you feeling all right?" I punch him on the arm. "I've been looking after your sorry ass this whole and when I try to sleep I have nightmares." He grins making my heart beat faster and "Well thank you for being my nurse. I didn't realize you cared so much." I laugh for the first time in days and say "If you ever leave me like that again I will beat you into a coma." Then, I kiss him and he kisses me back with the same passion we parted with when we split up in DC.

When we pull apart, John says "Stay with me tonight. I'll keep you safe from your nightmares." I'm a bit taken aback but I haven't had a decent sleep in ages so I say "If you get any bad ideas, I'll feed you to Five's tiger." John responds with a gasp of horror and says "Well I better wear some protection tonight." I laugh and he kisses me again. I rub my hand across his chest and when I finally drift off, I have the best night's sleep of my life.

**I'm sorry to do this to all of you, but I will be unable to post for a week due to end of school projects. I know you all want to know what happens next and I promise I will try to finish my work early so I can write the next chapter. Please remember to review and all suggestions are welcome. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the long wait everyone. I had my graduation this week so there were last minute projects, rehearsals, preparation and a whole bunch of other stuff that kept me from writing. I made this chapter extra long and hope it was worth the wait. Now that school is over I will try to update more regularly. Please remember to review. **

Chapter 12

Six

I awaken to the sensation of someone running their hand through my hair. When I open my eyes, the first thing I notice is my face is pressed against John's bare chest and his right hand is moving slowly through my hair. I move my hand along his abs and feel him stir before he says "Mmm that tickles." I laugh and rub my head against his chest. I replay the events of last night and am relieved beyond words that he's finally back. He leans his face toward mine and we share a slow, lingering kiss that builds up until all I can think about is how perfect this moment is.

Suddenly, my happy thoughts are interrupted when John unexpectedly takes a sharp intake of air. I quickly pull the blankets off to find out what's wrong, but I stop breathing once I look down. For some inexplicable reason, my left hand has gone though John's abdomen and the only visible part is my wrist, almost as though my hand had been cut off. However, despite the lack of my hand, I can still feel it just like every other day of my life. I slowly pull my hand out of John and wince when he makes another sharp intake after my hand comes out.

I look at my hand, and notice it has taken on a transparent hue, very much like when I first turned invisible. Only this time, I can see my hand clearly. While I am contemplating what is going on, John tries to take my hand but his hand passes straight through mine. "Six" John says slowly, "I think you may have gotten a new Legacy."

I look at my hands and experience a sense of elation. Another Legacy, another advantage against the Mogs I think to myself as I grin at John. He pulls me towards himself, and starts to give me another kiss. I play along for a bit but I slip out of his grasp and head to the bathroom. "Come on Six I was just warming up." He catches up to me and I turn to face him right in front if the bathroom door. I give him a quick peck on the cheek before I say "Save some of your energy for training. You'll need it against me." "Oh alright" he says, reluctantly letting me go.

As I release his hand, I see several blue sparks fly from his hand and go towards the bathroom. I keep walking and follow the sparks into the bathroom where I promptly slam face first into a solid, shimmering blue wall. Before I fall, John rushes to my side and asks if I'm okay.

I feel my nose and after determining it isn't broken, I nod my head. The blue wall soon disappears but sparks continue to flicker from John's hand. John shakes his hand to get rid of the sparks, but they continue to form and flicker.

John pushes his hand out in front of himself and another blue wall appears between us. After, John pulls his hand away, the wall disappears and John continues to examine his hand.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who has a new Legacy" I say to him. He grins back at me and says "Any idea what it's supposed to be?" "Force-fields is my best guess. Five has the same thing only her fields is red rather than blue." John flexes his hand and says "This is awesome. I finally got another fighting Legacy to help me beat you in training."

I laugh sarcastically "In your dreams John." He laughs and pulls me into an embrace. "Wait till we show the others" I whisper to him. "Yeah, they definitely won't be expecting this" John says looking at his hands. Being back together with John and in his arms fills me with such happiness; I have a sudden impulsive desire. "Hey John." "Yeah Six" he says.

I pause for a moment to float a bottle of hair dye into my hand before continuing. "I was wondering if you could help me dye my hair back while I sit in the Jacuzzi." "Sure" says John and he walks over to turn the Jacuzzi on. While he gets the tub to the right temperature, I leave the bathroom to change into a swimsuit. When I come back, the tub is nearly filled and steaming hot. As I enter the tub, I notice John doesn't take his eyes off me which was exactly what I wanted.

I lean back and look up at John, who smiles and pours a generous amount of dye on my head. A few minutes later, John is rubbing the dye into my scalp and nearly all of my hair has returned to its natural raven shade. "There" says John, "The bottle says to wait for ten minutes for the dye to set in before washing it." "What am I going to do for ten minutes?" I ask John in my most innocent voice. "I could keep you company" he says. "Sounds good, but give me a kiss first."

John grins and says "Yes ma'am." He bends down and kisses me from above, and I angle my face to look up towards him. While he's distracted, I wrap my arms around his chest and pull him in. John enters the tub face first and emerges sputtering water.

"What was that for?" he asks glaring at me. I move closer to him and whisper, "I felt you could use a little bath and wanted to pick up where we left off last night." The glare quickly disappears and is replaced by a grin. "And where did we leave off?" I pretend to think about. "Something like this" I say giving him a deep and forceful kiss. He returns it and soon we are lost in our passion of each other. Needless to say, the ten minutes pass by very quickly.

Nine

I awake with a dull throbbing behind my eyes and aches along my side. I rub my eyes slowly and take in my surroundings still half asleep. I'm in a large but very comfortable bed, with soft sheets, and a firm pillow. When I turn to my left, I see Five laying beside me with her eyes closed and a peaceful look on her face. I run my right hand along her back and when I reach the lower contours, Five suddenly says "If your hand goes any lower, we're going to have a problem." I cautiously remove my hand as she blinks her eyes and gives me that small half smile I've come to adore. She gently strokes my face and places a soft kiss on my forehead.

"Good morning" she says as she gazes into my eyes."Good morning to you too" I say as I scratch the top of my head. Only when I scratch it, I have a significantly reduced amount of hair then I did the night before. "What the hell?" I say feeling my head and trying to figure out what happened to my hair. Five smirks at my confusion before she places her head on my bare chest and says "You said you wanted a haircut last night so I gave you a trim."

"I said that?" I ask incredulously. "You did indeed. Plus, we were both a bit intoxicated last night" Five says with a slight grin. "Did I do any other crazy things?" I ask Five."Well..." Five starts before looking across the room. I turn to see what she's looking at and when I do, I see clothes scattered around the furniture. When I move myself into a sitting position, I become uncomfortable aware of the fact that I don't have any clothes on.

"Five... What happened to all my clothes?" Five turns to face me and as she does, I notice the dress she was wearing last night is draped over a nearby chair. I feel my whole face turning crimson before I say "Did we...did I..." Five hits my chest playfully before saying "No Nine it wasn't that kind of night."

"Then what happened to all of my clothes?" I ask her. Five stretches out her arms and says "After we got the ball rolling, you left to take a shower and I went to do the same. However you kind of forgot to take your clothes off and went into the shower with them. When you came out, you were soaking wet." "So I took them off?" I ask raising my eyebrow at her. Five turns slightly red. "Umm…Actually, I took them off for you." I look back at the clothes scattered around the room before turning back to her and ask "Why?"

"Well I didn't want you to catch a cold or pneumonia" she says with a sly smile. "And did you….see anything?" I ask turning away to hide my embarrassment. Five sighs loudly and says "Nine, I have control over the elements, perform sorcery, and built an army out of metal and circuits. I think I qualified to get you out of clothes and into a bed without...looking."

We share a look before we both crack up and she pulls me into a kiss. "God you're beautiful" I say to her. "Thanks. You're not so bad looking either" she says. I pull away slightly and ask "Does this mean we're officially together?" Five looks up toward the ceiling. "I don't see why not. Although, our date wasn't exactly by the book."

"Oh they have a book for this?" I ask chucking. "They have a book for everything" she says. "Anyway it's time to get up. We have to get back home." I groan loudly "Ten more minutes." I beg her as she pulls off the sheets and steps out of bed. I'm thrilled to see that she's only wearing short shorts an over sized T-shirt that shows off her very well shaped legs.

She walks to the bathroom before turning back and says "This is why we'll make a good couple. You like looking at me and I can know everything you think." I pull a pillow over my head and think _Damn mind reading_. _I heard that_ I hear Five say in my head as she walks into the bathroom and closes the door. I sigh, sit back and use my telekinesis to float some fresh clothes over to me.

Five

As we fly back to Olympus, I feel Nine rest his head against my shoulder. He's obviously hung over, but he still manages to look hot. I run my hand through his freshly cut hair and grin as I recall our night together. I've never let myself get that close to anyone before and it makes me feel like I'm floating on a cloud. It also makes me feel vulnerable and exposed though. _You've gone your whole life without anyone other than Hannibal._ I think to myself._ Why do you need someone now?_ Although I won't admit it to Nine, I've felt increasingly alone the last few months and after spending time with him, I've discovered Nine is like me. He's a warrior, a risk taker, and someone who will go the distance and beyond to win this war. Not to mention an amazing kisser. I shake my head and hear the pilot announce we will land in ten minutes. I help Nine put on his seatbelt and take the seat beside him as we begin our decent.

Once the helicopter pulls into the hanger, I step out to see Reese and Sandor waiting for me. Sandor looks rather amused while Reese has his arms crossed and is frowning slightly. "Morning Sandor, morning Will" I say as I walk over to them. "Don't "good morning Will" me Five" says Reese. "We were worried about you. It took us forever to find the note you left Hannibal. Plus, you didn't bring any back up with you." I stop in front of them and bow my head. "I'm sorry I made you all worried. I wanted to spend some alone time with Nine. Besides, I wanted to see if he was as good as Sandor said he was." I look at Sandor "You were absolutely right about Nine. He singlehandedly retrieved the chip we needed and I had a great first date with him."

Sandor grins widely "You and Nine huh? Did my young ward behave himself?" "Absolutely" I reply. On que, Nine stumbles out of the copter holding his hand to his head. I turn back to Reese and hand him the chip. "Could you give this to Cornelius and Eddard down in the lab? Tell them it's for Project Astral." Sandor and Reese exchange a look with each other. "Do you mean to move to the next stage of the plan?" Sandor asks me. "Yes, I will brief the others during breakfast." I turn to look at Nine who is covering his eyes in order to block out the light from the ceiling. I approach him slowly before placing my hands around his head and chanting a quick Loric spell to end the hangover. Nine shudders for a moment but quickly straightens up and takes a deep breath.

He looks around to gather his bearings and gives me a quick kiss. "Thanks for getting rid of my hangover for me" he says when we pull away. My hearts flutters erratically but I pull him towards myself and whisper "Let's keep what happened at the apartment between us for now." Nine nods and then grins widely as he asks "What will you do to buy my silence?" "I'm sure I'll think of something Nine." I then slip my arm through his as we all walk over to the house.

When we finally arrive, my first stop is the kitchen where I tell the cooks to make a large breakfast. Then, Nine and I head to the bedrooms where we knock on everyone's door and tell them to come down in fifteen minutes. After that's down, Nine and I go down to Hannibal's study. When we enter, Hannibal is waiting for us at his desk, an undecipherable expression on his face. I give him a hug before taking my seat while Nine chooses to just sit. I give Hannibal a brief summary of what we did in Buenos Aires but I leave out information about our night in the penthouse.

"So Nine, how does our penthouse compare to the one you have in Chicago?" Hannibal asks in his deep and gravelly voice. "It's awesome' Nine replies. "I liked really liked the gym you installed. It's much bigger than the one Sandor and I had." I nod my head and chime in "Yeah, Nine showed me the close combat skill we've been working on over the week. He has an extraordinary amount of...stamina." At the last bit, Nine nudges me slightly with his foot but Hannibal doesn't notice. Hannibal checks his watch before saying "Yes Sandor said you always had an abundant amount of energy. I'm so impressed you two retrieved the chip by the way, we really needed it. But more on that latter, now I think we could all use some breakfast." Nine and I hardily agree and the three of us head down to the dining room.

We are the first to arrive but are soon joined by Sam, Adam, Malcolm, Sandor, and Crayton. Then Hawk, Valmont, Lestrade, Gregorovich, and Tywin come in and take their seats. Eight, Marina, and Ella join us shortly afterwards and they sit across the table from me. We make small take for a few minutes but it soon becomes clear Six is running late. Just as I'm about to go up, Bernie Kosar trots into the room followed closely by Six who has dyed her hair back to its original color. However, our attention is quickly diverted to the person behind Six. We all stand up with our mouths slightly open as Number Four walks into the room, waves at us and takes a seat beside Six.

Six

Everyone is completely stunned when John and I come in together and they spend the next few minutes asking John how he is and introducing themselves. Sam embraces John and they both have tears in their eyes when they pull apart. Sam introduces John to his dad and Malcolm tells John what an honor it is to meet him. Nine gives John a bone crushing hug and tells John how he can't wait to resume their training. While our instructors introduce themselves to John, I notice Nine holding Five's hand. I raise my eyebrow slightly at Five after catches me looking at them and I hear her say _I'll tell you about it later_. Then, she says something to Nine, and walks over to me. Before she can say anything, I embrace her and say "I'm so sorry I doubted you Five. You were absolutely right, it was only a matter of waiting."

Five hugs me back and says "No, you had every reason to doubt me. I've never done anything like what I did for John and the risk was enormous. I'm just glad he's okay." We turn to look at John and I see that while he laughs and smiles, John has a sad look in his eyes. _He misses Sarah_ I hear Five say in my mind. I feel my hands tighten slightly and am concerned that John is still thinking about Sarah. _He likes you Six_ I hear Five say _But she was his first true love and it hurts him that she's gone._ I relax slightly and when I look at John again, he smiles back at me which makes my heart beat a little faster.

Five then introduces herself to John and tells him how she rescued the two of us and how sorry she is that he had to spend the last few weeks in a coma. Before John can respond, the food arrives and we sit down to have breakfast. Today it seems the entire kitchen has been emptied for nearly every type of food you could eat for breakfast is on the table. There are pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, toast, sausage, fruits, even crapes. Everything is delicious and I eat almost three servings of each dish.

After Five finishes her fifth cup of cappuccino, she pushes her plate forward and says "So John, am I safe to assume Six filled you in on where we are and what we have been doing while you were recuperating?" John gives my hand a quick squeeze under the table and nods his head. "Great" says Five. "And did she mention what exactly my Cepan and I do to support ourselves?" "Vaguely" says John. "We are the heads of an organization known as the Society of Shadows. We have a large array of activities including espionage, smuggling, fencing goods, gunrunning, and training mercenaries who we rent to clients. Nearly all of those mercenaries are either clones of Hannibal here or androids which we built in facilities across the world. And we have done all this in order to acquire the necessary resources and personal to end this war once and for all."

John nods his head as Five speaks and once she finishes he asks "How did you create all of these clones and androids?"Five pours herself some more coffee and says "I'm glad you asked. One of my Legacies is control over any technology I come into contact with and this enabled me to modify a Mogadorian cloning chamber Hannibal and I stole six years ago. I modified it to clone Loric DNA and we have creating clones ever since. I originally built androids for training purposes but realized they could be better used for combat. Would you like to see one of our facilities in action?" We all nod our heads and Five stands up and says "Follow me please." We all stand up and slowly follow Five out of the dining room.

Along the way, I tell Five and the others about the new Legacies John and I discovered this morning. Five listens carefully as I describe my new Legacy and when I ask her if she knows what it is she doesn't hesitate to respond. "Your new Legacy is called Phasing. It essentially allows you to modify your molecular density." "And what is that suppose to mean in English Five?" Nine asks. Five gives him a look before continuing. "Simply put, Six will soon be able to change the density of her body so she can either pass through solid objects or make her body so dense nothing will be able to penetrate her skin." I fall into a stunned silence as I contemplate the potential for this awesome new Legacy and nearly run into Five when she stops walking and says "By the way, we're almost there.

After making a few turns, going up stairs, and walking past several guards, we soon enter a large sitting area. Wide windows offer us a panoramic view of the whole property while the interior of the room is decorated with comfortable furniture, an enormous fish tank that has hundreds of salt water fish swimming around, and dark cabinets filled with books and various bottles of alcohol. In the center of the room a jet black grand piano stands resolute. I look around for an elevator or a set of stairs to lead to another room but the door in the room is the one we came through. The others look as confused as I am and my confusion only grows when Five takes a seat in front of the piano.

Then, completely out of the blue, Five starts to play the theme song from Pirates of the Caribbean on the piano. And oh how she plays. Her hands move like they have a mind of their own, up and down the keyboard. She hits every note perfectly and the pitch increases and decreases with the speed of the song. When she hits the final note, she looks up at us to study our reactions. We are completely blown away by her magnificent playing but before we can say so, the cabinets on the wall behind us slide into the floor to reveal a hidden elevator. Five then gets up from the piano and places her hand on the fingerprint scanner next to the elevator and the elevator opens with a ding. After the elevator opens, Five steps in and says "Well come on in."

The elevator descends at a rapid rate and we soon pass twenty floors all located below the house. When the doors open, we step into a long, stainless steel corridor which is brightly light by overhead lights. We walk past several windows which look into rooms where men in white lab coats sit at computers, or in front of tables filled with guns, circuits, and parts from other weapons. "What is this place?" Marina asks.

"This is the underground facility we built underneath the property which we call The Hive" Five says. "The Hive is where we develop our weaponry, train troops, spy on the Mogs, grow our clones, provide living quarters for them, and this is where we build and repair our androids. Right now, we are on the floor where we test and build our own weapons." In one of the rooms we walk past, I see one man taking apart a Mog canon and examining the inside. In another room, I see people in hazmat suits using microscopes and mixing chemicals in beakers.

"I thought you were going to show us the cloning facility." Nine says. Without breaking stride, Five says "I will. I just have something else to show you guys first." We pass a few more rooms before coming to a large vault shaped door that looks like it come straight from a bank. Five then proceeds to punch in a code, performs another fingerprint scan, and she places her face against the door for a retinal scan. As soon as Five's information is run through, the door swings open without a sound. When we step inside, the first thing I notice are the weapons and armor. They stand along the walls in the room and consist mainly of swords, shields, and a few spears. There are a few that appear to be out of place though including a hammer and what looks like a bow and set of arrows. While the weapons all appear to be of the best quality, I notice there are no guns or modern weapons. Nine looks slightly disappointed that there aren't any prototype weapons for him to play with. Five then asks for us to sit around the large table in the room. After we take our seats, Five remains standing and asks "How much do you guys know about Lorien's history with Earth?"

Marina, Ella and Eight shake their heads, while John and Nine say they know only a little. Sam and Adam have no ideas while Malcolm nods his head and smiles. "Well" says Five "The Loric have visited Earth for millenniums and many of the greatest rulers and most gifted humans in history had a Loric parent or were from Lorien themselves. People like Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Charlemagne, and Napoleon Bonaparte fall into this category. However the Loric that are of the most interest to us are those who are included in myths and legends. Does anyone know anything about the Greek gods? I raise my hand and so does John and Sam but the others only shake their hands back and forth to show they only know a little.

Five sighs dramatically and says "Education in today's society. It's alright, I will fill you in. The Greek Gods or Olympians if you prefer were a group of deities that supposedly ruled over the world from the top of Mount Olympus in Greece. The names of the most important were Zeus the king and god of the sky, Hera the goddess of marriage, Hades the god of the dead, Poseidon the god of the sea, Ares the god of war, Artemis the goddess of the hunt, Apollo the god of the sun, archery and music, Hermes the god of messengers, Aphrodite the goddess of love, Hephaestus the god of blacksmiths and inventors, and Athena the goddess of wisdom. There are hundreds of others but these are the ones everyone knows. "However, only a few people know that all these gods were actually Loric who came to Earth in order to observe the planet. The humans assumed they were gods because of their Legacies, and the Olympians decided to make the most of it.

I found all this after with a piece of Loralite in my chest. Besides storing souls, Loralite also records events when activated with a little sorcery. My piece of Loralite led me to Mount Olympus where Hannibal and I discovered a secret chamber within the mountain. And in this chamber were the remains of the Olympians and their children who were some of the greatest heroes of the day like Hercules and Perseus. In addition to the bodies, we found more Loralite and many personal processions that contained special properties. It appears as though the Olympians and our ancestors discovered a way to enchant their weapons with part of their Legacies and used special materials to make them indestructible. This is why I have brought you all here in order to give you gifts.

Hannibal and I realized that other Loric who came to Earth and mingled with the humans had similar weapons using the Loralite we found at Olympus and we've been tracking those weapons down. These are the ones we have found and I want to share them with all of you. Let me demonstrate." Five then walks over to the wall and picks up a golden helmet encrusted with rubies and diamonds that looks like it came from the movie 300. When Five places it on her head, she disappears from sight. She stays invisible for a minute before taking the helmet off and says "This helmet is called the Helm of Darkness and belonged to Hades. It allows to user to become invisible and actually become one with the shadows." Next, she takes the bow and arrows and hands it to Marina. "This was the weapon of Artemis and Apollo, as long as you believe in hitting the target you will never miss. The arrows are also enchanted and will never run out." Marina accepts her gift with a smile.

Five then turns to Nine. She hand him what looks like a metal pitch fork with three long points at the end. "This is the trident of Poseidon. Using this allows the holder to control water, and create earthquakes. " Nine grins widely and holds his new toy with two hands. After that, Five takes a long sword off of the wall and runs her hand along the side. Nothing happens at first but within a few seconds, the entire sword becomes engulfed in flames and causes the rest of us to step back quickly. Five extinguishes the fire and hands it to John.

"This is an English Longsword. It's very light, double edged, about a hundred centimeters, and its pommel is shaped like the head of a dragon. Its name is Caledfwlch." John examines the sword in his hand and I'm immediately drawn to the pommel which is indeed shaped like the head of a dragon and appears to be made of silver and has rubies for eyes. However, my attention is quickly drawn to the blade when John turns it over and I see words running down the flat of the sword. From the hilt of the sword to the point a single name has been engraved into the metal. It reads _Excalibur_. I look at Five who nods her head and says "Yes Six the sword is real. King Arthur was the son of a Loric and human who united Britain against the Anglo-Saxons in the middle ages. The sword was made by the great Loric sorcerer Merlin". As we all examine Excalibur, Eight asks "What do we need these weapons for?" "For the next stage of the war" Five replies. "And what is the next stage?" I ask her. Five smiles and says "Taking the fight to the Mogs of course."

**Was it worth it? What do you think of the new toys? What are some other powers you would like to see? **


	13. Chapter 13

**Wow 52 reviews! Thank you all so much for all your support and great reviews everyone. OK I'm very sorry it's been so long since the last update, I had a graduation, orientation for college and got hooked on The Mortal Instruments. The good news is that chapter 14 is almost done and will be out much sooner. As a special; onetime bonus, anyone who writes a review for this chapter will get a sneak peak at the next chapter, so please review. Happy reading. **

Chapter 13

Nine

After John puts Excalibur back into its scabbard, Five hands out gifts to the rest of us. Six receives the sword of Zeus which has the ability to summon lightning and strike foes where they stand. Eight is given a sword called Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. According to Five, Kusanagi is the imperial sword of Japan that was lost nearly five hundred years ago when the ship it was on sunk during a severe naval battle. Then she tells Eight Kusanagi is a type of sword called a katana and has the power to control the weather and the winds.

Ella receives two items. The first item is a staff that belonged to Hermes. The staff stands about three hundred centimeters and the top has a pair of snakes wrapped around a piece of Loralite and two gold wings extend from the side. "This staff is called a caduceus. It will give you the power of flight and the Loralite at the top shoots a laser if you concentrate hard enough" Five tells Ella as she hands her the caduceus. Five then takes a golden necklace that has a piece of Loralite at the end and places it around Ella's neck. When I look closer at the necklace, I see the Loralite is shaped like a dove. "This is the necklace of Aphrodite. When you wear it, you can make anyone obey what you say. I thought you could use it until your mind control develops fully" Five says with a smile. Ella admires her new jewelry before hugging Five. Five hugs her back and replies "I'm glad you liked it Ella" before returning to the weapons.

To my surprise, she beckons Adam and Sam to come forward and places two shields on the table. The first shield has the most hideous face I've ever seen painted dead in the center and has a diameter of about eighty centimeters. Five gives it to Adam and tells him the shield belonged to Athena and is called Aegis. The face it the center is suppose to be the face of Medusa and its power allows the bearer to instill uncontrollable fear in the minds of their opponents. As an added bonus, the shield has a sharpened edge and when thrown, it returns to its owner's hand like a boomerang.

The second shield looks more like a work of art than a weapon. Unlike Aegis, the shield Five gives to Sam is highly decorated with various scenes of life including animals, farms, constellations, a vineyard, and what appears to be two cities. "This is the shield of Achilles" Five says to Sam. "The shield is completely indestructible and like Achilles it will make you nearly impervious to harm."

Sam examines his new shield and asks "Will I be vulnerable in my heel?" "No" Five replies. "The arrow that hit Achilles was poisoned and he did not have his shield with him at the time. As long as you hold the shield, nothing will be able to penetrate your skin." Five then takes another sword from the wall and hands it to Sam "This is Crocea Mors, the sword of Julius Caesar. It will allow you to see what move your opponent will perform next and defiantly help keep you alive. Its name means yellow death in Latin and the sword is called a gladius."

Once Sam receives his sword, Five takes a large hammer from the wall and gives it to Adam. "This is Mjölnir, the weapon of the god Thor. The Vikings gods were also Loric who came to Earth long ago. Mjölnir will give you super strength and it will return to your hand when you throw it. After she hands out all the weapons, Five turns to us and says "All your weapons are made of a metal which the ancient Greeks called Celestial Bronze. The Loric who created it however called it Celestial Steel and they all have pieces of Loralite inside. The Loralite is what gives them their powers. Additionally, your weapons are practically indestructible and can only be destroyed if they were thrown into a star. I hope you're all satisfied with your gifts and feel free to ask me any questions."

John raises his hand and says "Umm...Won't this be a problem when we're out in public? Don't get me wrong I'm really grateful, I just don't see how we're going to be able to walk down the street with these weapons." Five nods her head and replies "Oh I forgot to mention, if you concentrate hard enough, you can adjust the size of your weapons so they can fit in your pocket or your bag. "Seriously? How is that even possible?" Adam asks. "It's magic" Five shoots back. "Don't argue with it. Any other questions?" We shake our heads and Five says "Great, but before we go, would you guys mind if I have a private word with Nine?" Six gives me a meaningful look as she leaves the room with the others and soon we have the room to ourselves.

I spin the trident in my hand slowly approach Five. She smiles at me and asks "So what do you think?" I examine the trident before I say "It's really cool but it's also a lot heavy than my pipe staff." "Yeah" Five says slowly. "I was worried about that. Would you be interested in a change?" I glance at remaining the weapons before I ask "What did you have in mind?" Five walks over to the wall and brings me a sword that looks nearly identical to the one she gave John. Only this sword is slightly shorter, the dragon on mine had blue stones for eyes and the style of hilt is in the shape of a curve rather than a cross. When I turn the sword around, the name that runs down the side reads _Clarent_. Five places her hand around my hands on the sword and says "Clarent is the brother sword of Excalibur and also belonged to King Arthur. That's why they look so similar. However, Clarent contains blue Loralite while Excalibur has red Loralite which is much rarer and Clarent has a much different power. Run your hand along the side"

I do as she asks and marvel as blue flames radiate from the sword. "Good" says Five. "The sword like you. Clarent has the power to freeze anything it touches and will cut through Mogs like butter." I run my hand along the side of Clarent and the blue flames disappear. "Thanks Five" I say as Five hands me a scabbard to put the sword into. Then, she pulls out a belt for me to attach the sword to and proceeds to wrap it around my waist in what feels suspiciously like a grope. "So what weapon do you use?" I ask her after my sword is attached to my new belt. Five smiles at me and before I can blink, she uses her telekinesis to pull two wicked looking curved swords from the wall into her hands and places them in an x shape under my chin. "This sword in my left hand belonged to Alexander the Great. It's called a kopis and named Talon. And this one on the right is a Mongol saber named Wrath that was owned by Genghis Khan. Talon gives me the ability to use my mind control against multiple opponents and Wrath allows me to make duplicates of myself." I cautiously push my index finger against the swords and Five takes them away.

"I have a weapon that's more deadly though" I tell her with grin. "Oh yeah?" she challenges. "And what would that be?" "This" I place my lips against her lips which makes her drop her swords. She resists momentarily before she gives in and kisses me back. When I pull away we are both breathing heavily and Five gives my cheek a light tap. "Oh yeah that defiantly make the Mogs weak in the knees Nine" she says. I laugh and give her another quick peck on the check before I use my telekinesis to give her the swords she dropped. She sheaths them in her belt and walks towards the door. "Come on" she says. "I've got a lot more to show you."

Five spends the next three hours giving us a tour of the entire facility. We see more weapon labs, sleeping quarters for troops, countless guards and men in white lab coats, dining rooms, a shooting range, rooms with thousands of computers, kitchens, and . Finally we reach another lab which Five opens for us to enter. This laboratory is much larger than any of the previous ones we've seen and as I look around I see vehicles, weapons, lasers, and what looks like a rocket and satellite all being examined by men and women dressed in full laboratory gear. Two men in suits notice our arrival and walk towards us. They shake hands with our instructors and bow towards Hannibal and Five. "Garde, I'd like you all to meet my two head scientists, Eddard Snow and Cornelius Stark. They build nearly all the equipment we use and came to Earth on the second ship with Ella and Crayton." As I shake hands with them, I take notice of their features.

Eddard looks to be in his forties, has dark brown hair, a light beard, brown eyes, smiles often, and is slightly shorter than me. Cornelius is much taller than Eddard and much older. He has white hair, blue eyes, is clean shaven, and has a rather serious look when he greets us. Both men are on the thin side and seem to be in prime physical shape. "If you follow me, I will show you to the cloning facility" Eddard says in a deep voice. Our instructors stay behind with Hannibal to inspect one of the projects while the rest of us follow Eddard to a large door at the end of the room.

When we reach the door, Eddard punches in a code which makes it open slowly. Once inside, we see what appears to be thousands of young teenage boys sounded by a liquid in in glass pods that completely line the walls and shelves of the room. The room itself is enormous, even bigger than the armory and everywhere I turn, I see these pods. "We acquired our first machine from a Mog base in Mexico several years ago" Eddard says as we walk down the hall. "Although it was intended only to make Mogadorian soldiers, Five helped us reprogram it to replicate human and Loric DNA. All the clones you see are of Hannibal and where grown about six months ago." I turn to look at the nearest clone pod and don't understand what Eddard just said. The clone inside looks about seventeen years old, there's no way he's only six months old. When I ask Five why that is, she tells me the age is due to growth accelerators. "What are growth accelerators?" Adam asks.

"They allow us to grow the clones faster" Eddard replies. "Otherwise it would take years to make an adult clone. We use a combination of sorcery and hormones to speed up the process and can grow a functioning clone in about eight months. The clones will appear to be about eighteen years old when they come out of the pods but will reach maturity over the next three years. After three years they will appear to be twenty five. Our clones are able to learn at an accelerated rate and are trained the moment they come out. First, they must master the sword and marksmanship. We also train them in hand to hand combat and tactics to help them fight as single units if the need arises. Once they complete basic training, they are given a naming ceremony where they pick their name. This is very important since it signifies that the clone is combat ready. After that, the clones can decide to pick a special field such as demolition, sniper units, computer warfare, pilots, or operating vehicles."

We then stop when Five pauses in front of a very large glass chamber. It is much larger than any of the other pods, is in the shape of a hexagon, and two wires attach the chamber to a smaller glass box that sits on a metal pedestal that rises from floor. "What is this?" Eight asks as we gather around to examine it. "Oh the boys upstairs have a long and boring name for it, but I call it the resurrection chamber. The reserection chamber is what allowed me to bring Sandor and Crayton back to life." "How does it work?" John asks excitedly. "First, I have to put the piece of Loralite that holds a Loric soul into the small box over there. Then, I take the body that the soul came from hand use magic to heal any injuries that caused the death. After I heal the injuries, I put the body into the chamber and use my magic to transfer the soul from the Loralite back into the body." While the rest of us marvel at the feat that Five as discovered, John looks almost disappointed.

"Is something wrong John?" Five asks. "No it's just…. I was hoping you could bring Henri my Cepan and Sarah back but all I have are have left of Henri are his ashes and I don't know what happened to Sarah after you rescued me." Five places a hand on John's shoulder and says "I'm so sorry John I can see what I can do with the ashes but this process unfortunately only appears to work on Loric. But we did keep Sarah safe, since we thought she deserved a proper burial." John nods his head and places his head on Six's shoulders as she whispers some soothing words to him. Five than starts walking again and says "There's one more thing I want to show you." We thank Eddard for showing us around and follow Five into an elevator. When the elevator stops, we enter a large office where Sandor, Crayton, Hannibal, and our instructors are waiting for us. The office contains a fireplace that looks large enough for us to stand in, a desk that sits in front of a large fish tank, and paintings and old weaponry decorate the wall. "Where are we?" I ask Five as we enter.

"We are in my office where I'd like to induct you all into the Society of Shadows" says Five. "What do we have to do to be inducted?" Marina asks. "Well" Five starts. "First you have to swear an oath of loyalty to the Society and then you must accept an assignment in order to prove yourself. Do you all accept these terms?" I nod my head and the one by one the others nod as well. "Excellent" says Five. "John, would you please come forward?" John approaches Five who tells him to kneel, place his sword in front of him, and agree to what she says. "Number Four, from this day forward do you swear to protect our secrets and actions as a member of the Society of Shadows?" "I do." John replies. "Do you swear to use your sword for the good of Lorien and obey the laws of the Society of Shadows?" "I do." "Do you swear to love and protect your Loric brothers and sisters and never leave a man behind?" "I do.""Do you swear eternal vengeance upon the Mogadorian race which destroyed our home and nearly annihilated our race?" "I do." "Do you swear to serve the Society faithfully and to the best of your ability from this day forward?" "I do" At the last part, Five draws Talon from her belt and lightly taps John on his shoulders with it. "Rise brother and welcome to the Society of Shadows."

John rises and Five repeats the oath for Six, Adam, Eight, Marina, and Sam until it is my turn. When my turn comes I draw Clarent and place it in front of myself. I repeat "I do" until Five reaches the last question. "And do you swear to serve the Society faithfully and to the best of your ability from this day forward?" She asks me. I look at her in the eye and say "My sword is yours, my life is yours, and my heart is yours." Five smiles wryly and taps my shoulders with Talon.

"Welcome to the Society Nine" she says and as I rise, she gives me a kiss that sets my body on fire. Six rolls her eyes while Marina puts a hand over Ella's eyes and the others look on in shock. When Five pulls away, she turns to the rest of the group, I hear someone mutter "Get a room you two" which makes the rest of us laugh. When the laughter dies down, Five walks over to her desk and pulls four manila folders out and hands one to Marina, Six, me, and keeps one for herself. "I have just given you the assignment that you must complete to become a full member of the Society. You will all be working in groups which I have chosen and all the information you need on the assignment is contained within the folder."

I open my folder and am pleased to see that my partners for the mission will be Five, Sandor and Lestrade. The mission information states that we are traveling to England and will be going to a place called the Tower of London. As I flip thought the papers, I see a picture of what appears to be jewels and a very large crown. I look around the room and see the others are looking at down at their folders and have similar puzzled expressions on their faces. Eight has a picture of a sword and Six is holding a picture of what looks to be a blue diamond. Five smiles and says "I can hear your confused thoughts so I will clarify what exactly you have to do. Each of the groups has been assigned an object that Hannibal and I have determined to be of Loric origins and we want you to steal these objects and return here once you have done so."

I rub my hands with excitement and say "Great, so what exactly are we stealing?" Five points to Eight and says "Eight's group will go to the Louvre in Paris and steal Joyeuse the sword of Charlemagne." She then points to Six and says "Your group will be stealing the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian Museum, and you and I will be breaking into the Tower of London to steal some of the royal jewels." We all stare at Five in shock as we realize she has just asked us to steal some of the most valuable treasures in the world from some of the most secure buildings in the world. Five grins at our shock and says "What? Did you think that this was going to be easy?"

**Hope that was worth the wait. How do you think the Garde will steal their assigned items? Will they succeed? In case any of you were wondering, I barrowed the idea of clone soldiers from Star Wars since I'm a huge Star Wars fan and I felt it was kind of established that the Mogs are able to make clone warriors. Hoped you liked the update, the next one will be out in three days. **


	14. Chapter 14

**So sorry I wasn't able to update yesterday. I had a power outage and when there's no power there's no Internet. This chapter is a little on the short side but there will be a major development at the end. Hope you all enjoy it! **

Chapter 14

Eight

As the shock of what Five wants us to do settles in, we all look at each other trying to so if anyone has an idea how to pull off these heists. Five notices our distress and says "Guys don't look so glum, have you forgotten the amazing Legacies we all have? Trust me; this will be much easier than fighting off a horde of Mogs." I smile at the last bit and put my arm around Marina as we examine the details about our target. Joyeuse is currently on display at the Louvre which is staffed twenty four hours a day. The building is equipped with all the latest and best cameras, alarms, and motion detectors money can buy and from the pictures, I can see there is no easy way to run in a just grab the sword.

Five puts her hands together and says "I know this is a lot to take in so instead of training today, you have the whole day to start planning how to steal your item with your teammates." My group consists of Marina, Ella, Crayton, and Captain Reese and we decide to start laying out a plan in Marina's room. Nine and Five decide to stay in Five's office while Six, John, Adam, Sam, Hawk and Malcolm head over to the dining room to start planning.

When we reach Marina's room, we lay out all the pictures in our file on the floor and pull out pens and paper to start sketching ideas. Ella suggests that she could use her gift from Five to make the staff give us the sword. I nod my head thinking that it's a good idea but Marina breaks the idea when she asks "But how are we going to control everyone in the museum into letting us walk out with the sword?" "We can do it at night" I respond. Marina pauses and then asks "But how many guards will be at the Louvre when we strike? We can't risk someone calling the police and I don't think Ella can control more than a few people at a time." We sit in silence as we are forced to evaluate Marina's point. Ella might be able to control three to six people at the most but if the police are called, there's no way she can control all of them and we'll all be trapped inside.

"What if we go through the roof, grab the sword and I teleport us out to a helicopter that can wait in the air" I suggest. Captain Reese shakes his head and says "That's way too risky. Going through the roof will attract way too much attention and I don't think we can have a helicopter hover above one of the most famous buildings in France without raising an alarm." I sit back in my chair and rub my head. All this planning and debating is giving me a headache. I look at a picture of the exhibit. The sword is sitting in large glass case and is surrounded by other weapons. The room that it's located in has two entrances and a floor to ceiling window allows sunlight to enter the room and visitors to view the outside. Suddenly, after examining the pictures more closely an idea pops into my head. I turn to Reese and ask "Captain Reese is there any way we can hack into the security system and shut off a few of the alarms?"

"Please" he says "Call me Will or Reese, being called Captain makes me feel old. But to answer your question, we do have some equipment that will allow us to hack into the Lourve's security system. What did you have in mind?" I hold the picture of the exhibit room and stand up to face the group. "If you and Crayton can disable the alarms in this room Marina and I can break in through the window and then I'll teleport inside the case and grab the sword." Crayton thinks about what I've said and asks "What about the guards?" I nod and having anticipated the question I look towards Ella. "This is where Ella comes in. She can distract the guards and use her mind control to keep them busy." I look around and see everyone is smiling as they go over my plan. After a minute, Reese stands up and says "It sounds like a solid plan Eight. We're going to have to work out some of the finer details like our escape, but it's a great start." I beam with pride and take a seat next to Marina.

Reese gathers up the photos and says "I'm going down to the lab to gather some of the necessary equipment. You three can either work on the plan a little more on the plan or head outside to test your new weapons. It's completely up to you but whatever you decide, make sure to be in the dining room by seven." He places the last photo in the folder and leaves after giving us a curt nod he leaves the room with Crayton. I turn to Marina and take her hand. "So what do you want to do? Plan or practice?" She takes out one of the arrows from her quiver and spins it around with her telekinesis. Ella pulls out her caduceus which causes the Loralite on the tip to glow and when I pull out Kusanagi, the surrounding temperature rises a few degrees as though the environment can sense the sword's power. "Practice it is then"

Nine

"Ahh… That's it…. Lower… Oh Nine" says Five. I pull away for a moment and stretch my arms. "Why are you stopping? Keep going" she says. "Sorry" I say. "I'm getting a bit tired. I've been at it for the last fifteen minutes." "Less talking, more massaging" says Five. I flex my arms one last time and resume Five's massage. "Remind me again why I'm doing this." I ask Five as I rub her shoulders. "Well, as my boyfriend you have to do whatever I tell you" she says. 'And if you don't I'll just use my mind control to make you do what I want." I pause before I ask "You would do that to me?"

"Well I would prefer not to do that to you Nine, but I will."She turns around to face me and we glare at each other. Five then breaks the tension by hitting me playfully on the arm. "Just kidding" she says. I pretend to be hurt by crossing my arms and starring daggers at her. Five sighs and says "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. I promise to make it up to you later." "How?" I ask.

Five gives me a wicked smile and says "I'm sure I can think of something." She then turns back around and says "If you're that tired you can help me plan the rest of our assignment." I use my telekinesis to float a chair over and take a seat next to Five. Her plan of the Tower of London is actually a three dimensional holographic image of the entire complex that allows us to examine the inner view of the buildings in addition to the outer view. The Tower is actually multiple buildings that are enclosed by thick walls and is situated on the banks of the River Thames. Despite the age of the complex, it is an impressive fortress and is proving to be a rather difficult target. Sandor and Lestrade tried helping out in the beginning but left to get a drink after an hour of unsuccessful planning. Nymeria has also lost interest in the planning process and is fast asleep in the corner of Five's office.

So….any ideas?" I ask Five. She remains silent for a moment but then says "The crown jewels are located in the Waterloo Barracks which is right here" she points to a building located a little behind the building in the center which is called the White Tower. "The main security center is located on the third floor of the White Tower over here" she points to the center. "If we can get inside without tripping any of the alarms, I can use my control of technology to take over the security terminal and disable the alarms to the Waterloo Barracks. The only downside is that I have to stay on the roof of the White Tower in order to maintain my control over the security system. So I can't go into the barracks with you."

"How will we get inside?" I ask her. "Oh that's the easy part. I can just fly over the walls and onto the necessary buildings." As Five's plan comes together, I finally see where I can help. "What if I went in through the roof? This window on the top of the barracks leads right into the room where they keep the jewels. If you can shut the alarms off, I can break in, grab what we need, and we can just fly out together." Five consults her plans and asks "How are you going to break in without alerting any of the guards?" I pull out Clarent from its scabbard in response. "Oh. I get it. You want to cut through the window with Clarent. I'll have to feed the cameras some false images but I'm very confident it will work. Nice job."

I sit back in my chair and feel a satisfied smile spread across my face. Five then uses her telekinesis to pull my chair closer to her's. "Now" she says "I believe I have some apologizing to do." She then stands up and places herself on my lap as she strokes my face. Five close proximity starts making me feel a bit uncomfortable but I ignore it. She gives me a deep and lingering kiss that leaves me begging for more, but when I start to kiss her back a loud rap at the door causes us to pull apart and Nymeria to wake up. "Talia, Nine" I hear Hannibal say from the other side. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Wrap up whatever plans you've made and head over to the dining room."

I sigh loudly to express my displeasure and straighten my clothes. Five glances over at me and she uses her telepathy to say _Patience Nine_. _Good things always come to those who wait._ _Then again_ she says, _We still have a few minutes. _ "Five..." I start. She puts her index finger against my lips and says "I prefer Talia" before placing her lips against mine. Her kiss fills me with desire that makes me wish it would never end but she pulls away and whispers "Wait until after dinner." I grin in anticipation and we head to the dining room hand in hand.

Five

During dinner, I ask the others to tell me about their plans. Eight's group has come up with a bold plan to use Ella as a distraction while the rest grab Joyeuse. While this plan is rather impressive, Six's plan blows it out of the water. Six's group consists of John, Sam, Adam, Malcolm and Hawk and they have decided the best way to grab the Hope Diamond involves "borrowing" a fire truck in order to pose as firemen so they can activate the fire alarms within the museum and steal the diamond while everyone is distracted. "How do you intend to disable the security system?" I ask. "Hawk said that you could give us an EMP" Sam responds. "What's an EMP?" Marina asks. "It's a type of bomb" I reply. "Minus all the destruction that a bomb causes." Marina looks at me with a confused expression so I explain further.

"When certain bombs like a nuclear bomb are dropped, they send out an energy wave called an electromagnetic pulse which disables any electronic systems within its blast radius. Only with a nuclear bomb everything in the blast radius tends to be vaporized. An EMP however will just shut down everything electronic rather than causing total destruction." Everyone sits back rather impressed and congratulate Six's group on their brilliant plan.

Once everyone's plate is cleared, I stand up to address the group. "First of all, I'd like to congratulate everyone on their fantastic plans." The rest of the Garde applaud and when they stop, I continue. "Tomorrow we will fly out to our designated locations and wait five days before striking. I suggest you gather whatever equipment you need tonight and get a good night's sleep. We all have a long day of traveling ahead of us. I know that you will all succeed and want to tell you that tonight is the beginning of the end for the Mogs. They took our home, our families, and our friends but now it's our time to take what is ours. Once we return with the last Loric objects, we will be ready to strike against every Mog on Earth. And I guarantee that vengeance will be ours." I sit back down to a thunderous applause and Nine holds my hand under the table.

Moments after I give my speech, dessert is rolled out of the kitchen and Sergei reminds me that I need to speak with him and Hawk. I nod in agreement and tell him to meet me in my office. As soon as I finish, I give Nine a quick kiss and promise to meet him in his room after I speak with Sergei and Hawk. He smiles back at me and tells me not to take too long. I watch him walk up the stairs and once he reaches the first floor, I head to my office. Hawk and Sergei are waiting for me and stand at attention when I enter. I ask them to sit and we wait a few minutes for Eddard and Tywin. When they arrive, I am finally ready to begin the meeting.

"Thank you all for coming" I begin. "What we discuss tonight will remain between us, Hannibal, and the men that you choose to go on the mission with you." I pull up an image of Ashwood Estates on my holographic projector, courtesy of Adam and the bugs we have in the Mogadorian defense system and commence the briefing. "This is the complex you will be infiltrating. Although it may look like any other American suburb, this is actually a well disguised Mogadorian community and there is a massive network of labs and tunnels under the homes. Your primary target will be here" I point to one of the larger homes on the surface that is located near the entrance if the gates community. "According to intel, he is an early riser and doesn't have any bodyguards with him. Use tranquilizer to pacify him and I also want you to take his wife and daughter." I pause for a moment to pick up a folder with pictures of the targets and hand them out.

"Your secondary but equally important targets will be found here." I point to a large lab that is approximately eight floors down from the house. "Adam has told me that the house has an elevator that has direct access to floors below. The targets will be found in the freezer and security will be light. This is where Eddard comes in. He will assist Sergei transport the three targets into portable cryogenic chambers that will be loaded on to the chopper Tywin will fly to get you there and lift you out. Hawk, I want you to stay with Six, Sam, John, Adam, and Malcolm while they take the diamond but you are all to regroup at the airport when this is over. Sergei, take forty of our best men and as many droids as you want. Make sure to disable all the security systems once you're inside. Any questions?" Sergei raises a hand and asks "Who is the primary target exactly?" I pull out a picture from my drawer and place it on top of my desk. "This is General Andrakkus Sutekh, the commander of the Mogadorian forces and Adam's father. He has valuable information we need to continue Project Astral and intel on how to strike critical blows against the Mogs. I want the four of you to take him down and bring him in.

**So Five is going after the General. Do you guys think the heists will be successful? What do you think Project Astral is? Hope that was worth the wait and don't forget to review. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for all the great reviews everyone. A special shout out to TheSpecterPlaywright who is was the closest to predicting what Project Astral is. However, the prediction only covers part of the overall plan which will all be revealed soon. If you like the chapter please review. If you don't like please feel free to list your complaints in a review. **

Chapter 15

Nine

The plane flies smoothly over the Atlantic Ocean hardly making a sound as it cruises at a speed of over nine hundred kilometers per hour. I rub the sleep from my eyes and look around the cabin. Five is fast asleep next to me with her head resting against my shoulder. Sandor is sitting a few rows back, deeply engrossed in a book about robotics while Nymeria patrols the aisle in tiger form. Lestrade is sitting a few rows in front of me and appears to be examining the contents of a manila folder. Careful not to wake Talia, I ease myself out of the seat and make my way towards Lestrade.

Along the way, Nymeria rubs herself against my leg and asks me to scratch her head. I bend down and rub her between her ears which makes her purr with pleasure. _Keep an eye on Talia for _me I tell Nymeria. _I always do _she responds as she walks over toward Sandor. I continue on my way and take the seat next to Lestrade. He looks up when I approach but quickly turns back to his papers. After a moment of silence he says "She's out of your league you know" in his strong English accent. I turn towards him in shock and ask "Why? Any crazy ex boyfriends I should know about?" Lestrade chuckles and says "You have no idea." I look at Talia who is still fast asleep and briefly wonder if there's any truth to what Lestrade is saying. I'm about to get up and sit with Sandor but Lestrade closes his folder and clasps me on the shoulder. "Relax" he says "I'm just messing with you. The two of you make a nice couple. But just keep in mind that if you break her heart you're going to have to deal with me, Reese, Valmont, Gergorovich, and Hawk." I smile a say "Noted. Besides, whatever you do I'm sure Talia's wrath would be much worse."

He laughs and our talk quickly becomes about the assignment. "So remind me again what we're stealing" I ask. Lestrade takes two pictures out of the folder and passes them to me. The first picture is of a very ornate crown encrusted with several large gemstones while the second picture is of a golden staff with what looks like an enormous diamond on the top."The Imperial State Crown and the Royal Sceptre are the items that we will be taking. They are two of the most important pieces of the crown jewels and each contains pieces of Loralite within them." He takes the picture of the Sceptre and says "This stone on the top is known as the Great Star of Africa and is considered the second largest diamond in the world. It's actually a piece of Loralite with identical coloring of a diamond." He then takes the picture of the crown and points out three stones to me "This stone in the center is called the Lesser Star of Africa, the one at the top is called the St. Edward's Sapphire, and the red one is the Black Prince's Ruby."

The Lesser Star is located almost in the center of the crown while the sapphire is located in a silver cross that protrudes out of the top of the crown. The ruby sits in the front of the crown practically on the rim. After examining the photos, I turn to Lestrade and ask "What's so special about these pieces of Loralite?" He places the photos back in his folder and says "Five believes that the secrets hidden in the Loralite will help us find a way to finish Setrakus Ra for good." I nod my head and ask him "What do you believe?" Lestrade says nothing at first but then says "If my experience as a soldier has taught me anything it's, everything that lives can die."

I take this in and determine that if anyone can find a way to kill Ra its Talia. After a minute I ask Lestrade the question I've been dying to ask since I met him. "So Lestrade, how exactly did you end up working for Talia?"His smile quickly disappears and his face takes a dark expression. He calls one of the flight attendants over and asks for gin on the rocks. I immediately wonder if I've crossed a line since Lestrade obviously doesn't seem to want to talk about it but after his gin comes, he begins to tell me his story.

"My parents died in a car crash when I was about eight. Since I didn't have any other relatives I got put into a foster home. I learned very quickly that you had to fight in order to survive and I left to join the army as soon as I turned sixteen. After about five years in the service the SAS recruited me since I was an orphan and orphans apparently make the best recruits because they don't have a family to worry about. Anyway, I did very well and became one of the best sharpshooters they had. One day my unit was sent to investigate a warehouse that was traced back to some terrorists that supposedly blew up a bus in London." He pauses to take a sip of his drink and it dawns on me that he's talking about the incident that led to Two's death.

"My unit watched the warehouse for almost two weeks" he continues. "We saw plenty of activity though. Every day we saw men coming to the warehouse with trucks and unloading boxes into the warehouse but once they went in they never came out. If that wasn't strange enough, all the people we saw going into the warehouse were unnaturally pale and well over six feet tall. One day, we saw several people breaking into the warehouse through the back door and we were finally given permission to go in. We however made the mistake of going in though the side door. It turned out the warehouse was being used as a weapons storage site and there were hundreds of Mogs inside. They immediately started cutting my men down and there was nothing I could do about it. Every once in awhile we would get a head shot but the Mogs were wearing some kind of body armor that was impervious to our weapons.

Soon it was only myself and three other of my men. We were forced to take cover behind some trucks that were left behind and thought we were finished. But before the Mogs could finish us off, she came." Lestrade then turns to look at Talia who is still fast asleep. "She and Hannibal had been monitoring the warehouse for weeks and they came with their own troops just in time to where we were hiding. They killed all the Mogs that had us pinned down and saved our lives. After she dealt with the Mogs, Five told us about the Mogadorian plans for galactic supremacy and how they had made deals with governments across the world to capture humans and travel unhindered in exchange for better technology and weapons. We didn't completely believe her at first but she showed us pictures of the underground lairs they've built around the planet and how they've sent emissaries to nearly every world leader to negotiate the terms of their stay. Then she told us that we would never be safe knowing what we knew so she offered us a way to fight the Mogs on a more permanent basis and give us a chance to make them pay for what they did to our unit. We accepted and after we loaded all the weapons we could carry onto the trucks, my unit faked our deaths by blowing up the warehouse. Ever since then we've been members of the Society and fighting Mogs whenever we can."

I sit back in silence and marvel at what Lestrade went through. "What happened to the remainder of your unit?" He puts his empty glass down and says "They still work for Five but were assigned to different parts of the world. I'm sure you'll meet them when we start attacking the Mogs on their home turf. Anyway, I need some rest. We still have another six hours until we land in London." I thank him for the telling me his story and decide to follow his example, so I walk back to my seat next to Talia and soon fall fast asleep.

When we land, Talia shakes me awake and we make our way to the front of the plane. Outside, a black hummer is being loaded with our luggage. Once the bags are packed, we get into the car as Nymeria changes into a hawk and tells Talia and I she will meet us at the hotel. Along the way, we pass the River Thames as well as the house of parliament and Big Ben. Our hotel is called The Ritz and when we pull to the front, a valet comes to take our car. The exterior is gray and appears rather unimpressive but the inside is the complete opposite. A grand piano sits in the corner of the lobby while ornate chandeliers hang from the ceiling and patrons order drinks from the hotel bar. When we reach the check in desk, Talia hands the concierge a card and without a word the concierge hands her two electronic room keys.

When I ask her what that was about she smiles and says "I own the hotel." She hands one of the keys to Lestrade and we make our way to the elevators. When we reach the top floor, Sandor and Lestrade walk to the left while Talia drags me to the right. "Aren't we staying together?" I ask as Talia pulls me along. "Relax Nine. Sandor and Lestrade will be just down the hall if we need them. Besides, you have me to keep you company." I grin broadly as Talia uses her key card to open the door to our room and follow her inside. The room is much larger than any hotel I've ever stayed at before and I immediately start to look around. The bathroom is covered in marble and has a Jacuzzi that could hold a small bear, the rooms are decorated in a very traditional style but the furniture is soft and comfortable, and although there is no kitchen, our room has a dining table that could seat fifteen people. The bedroom is connected to the bathroom, has an enormous plasma screen TV that sits over the dresser, and a king sized bed.

As I admire the room, Talia walks over and places her head against my shoulder. "So…" she says. "What do you think?"I take her hand and reply "It's great. Not as large as your place in Buenos Aires but it has plenty of space." "Glad you like it" she says as she plants a soft kiss against my lips. Before I can return it, we hear a loud tap against the window. Ping, Ping, Ping. I turn around and see a large hawk perched against the window still and staring at us. Talia sighs and uses her telekinesis to open the window. Nymeria then flies into the room and turns into a snow leopard. Talia bends down to pet her and then turns her attention back to me. "I scheduled a tour for us at the tower three hours. The bags should be up soon if you want to unpack" she says taking my hand again. "Three hours?" I say in mock horror. "What are we going to do for three hours?" Talia looks toward the bedroom and a slow smile stretches across her face. "I have a few ideas" she says pulling me towards the open door.

Seven

After we arrive in France, Crayton drives us to a hotel which is called the Four Seasons. After he speaks with the person at the front desk in French for a few minutes, Crayton hands over our passports and his credit card and receives a room key in return. We travel up the elevator and Captain Reese leads us to a massive room that is so spacious and opulent, the sisters at Santa Teresa would probably scold me for being so extravagant. The thought makes me grin but I quickly become somber when my thoughts turn Adelina and how the Mogs destroyed the town to find me. I put my arms around Ella and ask her "What do you think the sisters would say if they could see us now?" Ella makes a face and replies "They'd probably paddle us and accuse us of being demon spawn because of our Legacies." I laugh and Crayton comes over to speak with us. "Eight wants to speak with you" be says to me as he picks Ella up into a hug. I thank Crayton and walk over to Eight's room. I knock on the door and step inside when I hear Eight say "Com in." Eight has his back to me and is watching CNN on the television in his room. I wrap my arms around his waist and his cheek. "You wanted to see me?" I ask while I run my hands though his dark and thick hair. He turns to look at me and I feel myself drowning in those beautiful dark tree eyes of his. He embraces me and whispers "I want to take you out to see Paris." I raise my eyebrows and grin broadly. "What did you have in mind?" I ask. Eight shuts the TV off and says "I want to take you to see the Louve before we...all go together. Then I thought I could have dinner with the most beautiful girl in one of the world's most beautiful city." I blush but I reply "Sounds good to me" and he pulls me into a deep but soft kiss that builds up in intensity until he pulls away. Eight leads me put of the room and we have a quick word with Reese and Crayton to let them know our plans. After Crayton gives us his consent, Eight and I board the elevator and make our way done to the lobby.

Six

The flight to DC passes without any major incidences. Tywin flys the plane with Malcolm and Eddard as his copilots, while Adam tells us about his life before he defected to the Garde. Hawk and Gergorovich are also accompanying us to DC along with about fifty clones and android troops. When I ask Hawk why we need so many men for the job, he tells me that six of the clones will pose as firemen when we infiltrate the museum and the rest will travel will Gergorovich and Eddard to complete a special errand for Five. When I ask him for more details he says that Five swore everyone to secrecy but Five will tell us about it when we return to Argentina. I'm slightly suspicious that Five didn't tell us about the second mission but I shrug it off and return to my seat next to John. He smiles at me when sit down and takes my hand.

"Hey" he says. "Hey yourself" I reply and give him a light kiss on the check which makes Sam turn the other way. I immediately feel guilty since I know how Sam felt about me but the truth is John and I have a connection that Sam and I don't. While I love Sam like a brother and would fight beside him any day, John and I are two of the last Loric and can relate much better than Sam and I can. I vow to settle my feelings with Sam as soon as the job is over but my thoughts are interrupted by John who nudges me with his knee. "Remember the last time we were in DC?"

Sam smirks and replies "Yeah, too well. We got thrown in jail and were almost eaten by a Piken." I nod grimly as I recall the events of that night but grin internally when I remember that is was also the first time John and I kissed. I tap Sam good naturally and say "And you would have if I hadn't come along and saved your sorry asses." We all laugh at the last part and John pulls me closer making my heart beat faster. Before I can react, the intercom comes on and in his smooth and low voice we hear Tywin saw "Lady and gentlemen we are about an hour away from our destination so I suggest you wrap up anything important you may be working on. We will begin our decent in approximately forty minutes." The intercom turns off but after a minute it comes back on and Tywin says "Thank you for flying Loric Air." We all crack up at the last line and start heading towards our seats. John sits beside me and places his head against my shoulder. "Now that I think about it, I don't think I ever thanked you for saving us last time we were in DC" John says while he gazes at me with his ocean blue eyes. I smile in response and move closer to him. "Don't worry about it, you would have done the same" I whisper back and kiss his forehead. We spend the remainder of the flight curled next to each other as we reminisce about our road trip.

When the plane lands, there are three black Hummer limousines, two dark blue Cadillac SUVs, and a silver Porsche 911 convertible waiting for us on the tarmac. Gergorovich grins and gets into the Porsche with Tywin, while the Eddard and the majority of the clone and android troops get into the limos. Ten of the troops however walk over and stand at attention in front of us. Eight of the troops are carbon copies of each other with the exception of some scars, tattoos and different hair styles. The last two troops are bald, have very bright blue eyes, and appear much larger and muscular than the other troops. Hawk then comes over and makes introductions. Garde, the men standing in front of you are several of our best and most efficient troops we've ever recruited. Their names are Jace, Alec, Valentine, Hodge, Lucian, Cato, Marvel, and Finnick. The two at the end are android troops and while they may not talk much, they will be very useful in helping is taking down the security system at the Smithsonian.

We all shake hands with the clones and after the introductions load our belongings and equipment into the SUVs. Our hotel is called the Ritz Carlton and everyone gets their own room except for the clones who share four rooms with each other. My room is just as luxurious as the one I left in Argentina and as soon as I unpack my last bag, I hear a knock at my door. I open it and see John standing outside. I invite him in and after I close the door, he looks at me and asks "Would you like to take a walk with me?" I look at him in surprise and he quickly adds, "I want to do some sightseeing with you and felt it would be easier if we were invisible since I'm kind of wanted by the FBI." I shake my head but I smile and tell him to give me a minute. John leaves to let the others know and I use telekinesis to bring my new sword over to me. I examine it before tying the scabbard around my waist and heading out the door. I John waiting for me by the elevator and when I take his hand, we disappear from sight.

Once we leave the hotel, we walk around the downtown area before heading over to the more famous attractions. We pass the Capital Building, the Washington Monument, and the White House. After the sun sets and we make sure no one is around, I make us visible and create a small cushion of air that allows us to rise into the sky. Soon, we are several hundred feet in the air and have a stunning panoramic view of the city. John grabs my hand and points to a flat, brightly lit building in the west. "Look" he says. "That's the Pentagon." I instantly feel my fists tighten as I remember that my chest is hidden somewhere underneath. I tempted to blast some lightning at the building to vent my frustration but John gives my hand a squeeze and says "I promise I'll help you get it back after we return to Argentina. I will fight every agent and Mog in there if it gets your chest back." I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude that John is willing to go to such lengths to reclaim my chest and pull him closer. "So what do you think?" I ask him gesturing to the city below us. John doesn't take his eyes off me and says "I think the view from over here is amazing." I roll my eyes whole he snickers but I cut off his laughter with a kiss. He kisses me back and we continue to hold one another as the sun sets in the distance.

Eight

After we step into the Louvre, Marina and I walk hand and hand through the exhibits. We see sculptures, jewelry, armor, murals, frescos and of course paintings. Marina spends hours gazing at the various works by different masters admiring the lighting, the brushstrokes, and the types of paint used. Although I don't get into the art as much as Marina, I can appreciate the beauty of the art and I love seeing Marina happy. We soon pass into the weapons exhibit and skip almost everything until we reach Joyeuse. The pommel of the sword is in the shape of a circle with a jewel at the center and is made of gold. The hilt is in the shape of a cross and is also gold while the blade is roughly a meter and a half. Marina sees me starring at it and she whispers to me "Don't worry your plan will work. If you keep starring the guards might get suspicious." I laugh and we continue on our way. Soon we enter the hall where the Mona Lisa is displayed and wait nearly an hour and a half to stand in front of it. Marina is rocking with excitement while I wonder to myself how such a small painting can be so famous. "Well," I hear a familiar voice say "For starters it was painted by Da Vinci one of the greatest half Loric who ever lived, Napoleon another great half Loric hung it in his bedroom, and then it was stolen by a mere human."

I whip around and am flabbergasted to see Five standing behind me with her arms folded and an amused expression on her face. Marina is equally shocked as I am and she hesitantly asks "Five? What are you doing here? I thought you were in England with Nine." Five examines the Mona Lisa for a few seconds before winking at us and says "Follow me." We follow her into an empty exhibit and take a seat on one of the benches there. Five looks around and once she sees that we are alone, she leans in close and says "I'm not actually in Paris with you. I'm using a special object from my chest called a Tamaran and a little sorcery to project an image of myself from England so I can speak with the two of you face to face." I'm stunned by the capability of Five's powers but when I try to touch her, my hand passes through her body like it's made of mist. After I recover from my shock, I manage to ask her what she wants to talk about. "The missions will go on as planned three days from now" she says. "Make sure to finalize everything by tomorrow and enjoy Paris whole you're there."

"Do the others know?" I ask her referring to Six, John, Adam, and Sam. "Yes" Five draws out as she rolls her eyes. "Six and John were a bit...busy when I made contact with them but they got the message. I hope the rest of the date goes well and Eight." I snap my head up when I hear my name. Five points at Marina and says "Take her to Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée for dinner. It's on me." Five then hands me a credit card and I am surprised that the card is solid especially since Five is not really here. Five smiles at us and wishes a good night. Then, she walks straight through me and her image fades from existence. I look over at Marina hold up the card. "Ready for some dinner?"

**Hoped that was enjoyable and you liked the origin story for Lestrade. While this chapter covers the romantic fluff, the next chapter will be all about the heists. Please remember to review.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Greetings everyone. So sorry I have not updated for a while. I was struck with a massive case of writer's block and couldn't find the inspiration for a good chapter. However, I this chapter is all about the heists and I hope this makes up for the late update. And thank you to the anonymous guest who informed me about the excess typos I have in my story. I will be making a great effort in the future to avoid that. Enjoy and please review. **

Chapter 16

Five

I awaken to glare of sunlight on my face and slowly stretch my arms out. I blink my eyes groggily as they adjust to the light and slowly sit up in my bed. Nine is shirtless and dead to the world with his face pressed against his pillow. I grin at his prone figure and gently shake him awake. "Nine" I call in a low voice. "Wake up. Today is the day of the heists." I see one of his eyes open and with a groan; he stretches out his arms and rolls over into a face up position. He glances over to the clock by the nightstand and his eyes linger on the lingerie I'm wearing before he says "Seriously Talia? Its only 11:30 in the morning. We don't go until after dark." I shrug my shoulders and pull on a bathrobe. "Fine, if you don't want to get up I'll have breakfast with someone else."

That catches his attention and he sits up quickly giving me a nice view of his six pack. "Why didn't you say that first?" he asks pulling off the covers. He walks over the closet and pulls out a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. While Nine gets dressed I pick up the phone next to the clock and order pancakes, French toast, eggs, waffles, bacon and plenty of tea and coffee from room service. Then I go to the bathroom to freshen up and brush my teeth. When I step out of my room, Lestrade is already dressed in his black combat fatigues and reading a newspaper. He puts it down when he hears me coming and pushes the chair next to him towards me. I gratefully accept it and ask him where Sandor is. Lestrade points towards Sandor's room which is still closed.

I yawn and Lestrade asks "Rough night?" I give him a look but his face remains impassive. Keeping my voice neutral I reply "Slept like a baby. What about you?" He cracks his knuckles and says "Fine. Although I thought I heard some noise coming from your room last night." I tap my hand against the table and say "Must have been the TV." "Sure it was" he says with a smirk. I cross my arms and say "Jason, I have mind control and control over the weather, do you really want to get on my nerves this early in the morning?" Lestrade sits back in his chair and grins as he picks up his paper. "I'm sorry" he says "but I couldn't resist." I shake my head and sit back in my chair. Nine then comes over from behind me and gives me a quick peck on the check before taking the seat across from Lestrade. Lestrade gives Nine a look as he sits down and returns to reading his paper.

Suddenly, we hear a knocking at the door so I get up to see who it is. When I open the door, I see a bellhop with two carts standing outside. He looks over my shoulder to see into the room and says "Breakfast for a party of five." I tell him to come in and after he pulls the food in, I hand him a few pounds for a tip. With Nine's help, I push the carts over to the dining room and pass out the plates. Right as we're about to tuck into our breakfast, the door to Sandor's room opens and he steps out dressed in one of his signature silk suits. He takes the seat next to Nine and says "Aha, I thought I smelled bacon" as her pours himself a cup of coffee. We make small talk as we eat and once we finish, I push my seat back and turn to Sandor. "Are the web cams ready?"

He nods and shows me web cam he attached to various computers in the living room. "Excellent" I reply as I rub my hands together. "Everyone, we are now prepared to begin our heists." I turn the equipment on and soon the faces of Six, John, Eight, and Marina appear in front of me. "Good morning everyone. Today is the day we complete our assignments and you become full members of the Society of Shadows. I wish you all the best of luck and make sure to stick to the plan. When this is all over we'll celebrate over mojitos in Olympus." I give my friends some last minute advice and wish them luck one last time before ending the connection. However after I end the conversation, I use the web cam to contact Sergei. He answers on the first ring and when I see his face, I'm surprised to see that he is bleeding slightly from a cut on his forehead.

"Are you alright?" I ask. "Is your team alright? Was the mission successful?" Sergei nods and after a deep breath he replies "I will live but Slade, Gregor, and Mccullen received serious injuries when we apprehended the target. They won't die but…" Sergei trails off as though he is unsure how to continue. "But what?" I prompt him. He sighs and says "Slade will probably lose the use of his left eye." I rub my head with frustration while Nine looks on slightly confused as to what's going on. Seeing my distress, Sergei quickly adds "The rest of the mission went perfectly though. We managed to take all of the primary targets and Eddard was able to locate the secondary targets and place them in the cryogenic chambers." I nod pleased with the progress and inquire "Where are you now?"

"We are on standby on the plane" he replies. "The primary targets are heavily sedated, the secondary targets are in the hold, and Tywin is refueling and scanning the plane's systems as we speak." I thank Sergei for the update and tell him to give my regards to the injured troops before shutting off the weapon cam. Nine looks at me with his eyebrow slightly raised and asks "What was that all about?" I give Nine a conspiratorial wink and take his hand. "I'll tell you about it later. But first I have to change and then we have some last minute things to go over for tonight." I give him a quick kiss and head back to my room.

Four

"Okay everybody, this is it" Hawk says from the passenger's seat. The fire truck which we commandeered yesterday bumps along the road as we make our way to the Smithsonian. Jace drives the truck while the other clones are dressed in firemen gear sit in the back and strap on their concealed weapons. Malcolm, Sam, and Adam have also dressed like firemen but Six and I have decided to remain invisible when we enter the museum. Hawk gives a nod to Valentine who uses a laptop to remotely activate the fire alarms in the Smithsonian. Then, Hodge uses his laptop to intercept the 911 call and direct it to his cell phone. He picks up the phone and says "911 emergency operators, please state your emergency." He listens for a moment and replies "Yes sir we will send a crew immediately, please execute all evacuation protocols. Emergency services are on the way." With the sirens blaring at full power, Jace steps on the accelerator and we pull up to the museum in no time.

The evacuation of the Smithsonian is in full effect when arrive and I take Six's hand as the others rush out and approach the entrance to the museum. Six and I follow the others invisibly and see that everyone has stopped in front of a middle aged man in a navy blue suit and a red tie. When I get closer I see that his ID badge identifies him as the curator of the museum. The curator finishes whatever he was saying and Hawk then says "Thank you Mr. Graymark, my team and I will head there right away. I just need to barrow your keys so in case we have to open anything." "Of course" the curator says handing his keys over without a word of protest. Hawk nods his thanks and we enter the Smithsonian. When step inside, I hear Six gasp in amazement at the sheer size of the enormous dinosaur skeleton in front of us and the various exhibits around us. The others look equally impressed but they put aside their awe as they recall the mission at hand.

Once we reach the third floor Hawk turns to one of the clones and says "Lucian, it's time to activate the EMPs." Lucian nods and detaches his oxygen tank from his back. The others do the same and place them in a circle around him. Although they look like ordinary tanks, Five cleverly disguised fourteen small but very powerful EMPs as oxygen tanks to avoid suspicion when we entered. Lucian then flicks a switch on each of the tanks and the top of the tanks become lit with a blue light. At first nothing happens but then, a low humming starts emitting from the tanks and within seconds, the lights directly above use shatter and all the power goes out in the building plunging us into utter darkness. "Night goggles on" says Hawk placing the visor of his firemen's helmet over his eyes. Sam hands Six and I the spare goggles that we brought along and when I put them on, the world turns an eerie shade of green.

Hawk continues to lead the way and stops in front of a locked metal gate. I look at the sign on the wall and realize we've arrived at the room where the Hope Diamond is displayed. Hawk takes out the curator's keys and after a few seconds of jingling them, he inserts one of the keys into the lock and turns it. We all hold our breath as the gate silently swings open.

Seven

"Marina, Eight are you in position?" I hear Crayton ask through my earpiece. Eight stands beside me in the bathroom stall located across the hall from the Joyeuse exhibit which we snuck into before the museum closed. He gives my hand a squeeze as I whisper "Yes". "Have you tapped into the Louvre's security system?" Eights asks. "Two more minutes" I hear Reese respond. Eight and I wait in silence for what seems ten minutes but then, I hear Reese exclaim "Okay, we're in. Ella you up." From inside the stall, I hear Ella leave the other bathroom and in perfect French she cries out "Papa, Papa. Where are you? I'm lost." I see Eight smile and he says "She's quite the actress isn't she?" I smile back and soon heat the sound of heavy footsteps. Someone asks Ella a question in French and she immediately starts crying.

After hearing our signal, Eight and I step out of the stall and stand by the door. I hear someone else trying to calm Ella down but they stop midsentence when Ella uses her mind control. "Listen to me" Ella says slowly. "You will take me downstairs through the front door like there is nothing wrong and will allow me to leave by myself." I open the door a crack and see three guards standing around Ella and nodding mutely to what she is saying. Ella starts walking towards the exit and the guards obediently follow her. We wait another three minutes until I hear Reese say "Marina, you and Eight are now invisible to all the security cameras in the building. The alarms in the Joyeuse case have all been deactivated and you are clear to proceed." I tap Eight on the arm and head towards Joyeuse.

Once we reach the case, Eight grins at me and uses his teleporting Legacy to enter the case. He waves at me as he places the sword in its scabbard and then teleports next to me. Eight then taps his earpiece and says "We have it." "Good" Crayton replies. "Head to the meeting point." Eight then embraces me and teleports us outside. As soon as our feet touch the ground, he pulls me into a passionate and intense kiss. When we pull apart I feel my cheeks brighten slightly and Eight breathes heavily as he says "I can't believe that worked." I move to kiss him again but am interrupted when the door to the Louvre opens and Ellas walks out. We make our way towards her and I give her a big hug when we reach her. Eight shows her the sword and her eyes widen at the sight of it.

Eight then offers each of us his hand which we take gratefully. Eight then teleports us from the Louvre is, to the spot where Reese and Crayton parked our getaway van. I tap three times on the side of the white van and the door slides away to reveal Crayton and Reese sitting in front of various computer screens, monitors, and other equipment. Ella goes in first, followed by Eight, and then me. Once we're all in, Crayton starts the van and Reese asks Eight to see the sword. Eight hands over the sword and Reese spends the next few minutes examining the jeweled scabbard, testing the sharpness of the blade, and feeling the hilt of the sword. Once he finishes, Reese tells Crayton to drive to the hotel to pick up our bags. When we arrive, Crayton keeps the car running while the rest of us head into the hotel to gather our belongings. Reese goes to the front desk to settle our bill and Ella, Eight, and I take the elevator to reach our room. Most our things are already in the luggage, but we do a last minute check to make sure nothing is left behind.

When the last bag has been zipped shut, we pick them up and make our way back to the lobby. Reese is waiting for us in a plush arm near the elevator and takes two of our bags when he sees us. Reese then loads all the bags in the van and when he gets back in, Crayton starts heading towards the airport. I sit back in my chair exhausted as the excitement of the last few days finally catches up to me. I lean on Eight's shoulder as he gently strokes my hair. My eyes start to droop but before I completely succumb to sleep I manage to pull Eight close and whisper "Best third date ever." His beautiful green eyes light up with amusement and he whispers back "I know." He pulls me close and I drift off to the soothing rhythm of his heart.

Six

After the gate swings open, Hawk is the first to enter followed closely by Sam and Adam. Malcolm and the clones decide to remain outside so John and I are the last to enter. The others stand around a large glass case obstructing our view of its contents but they make an opening for us when we get closer. Inside the case is a stunning necklace made of gold, diamonds, and emeralds, with the largest diamond I've ever seen hanging on the end. The Hope Diamond is slightly smaller than the palm of my hand and is very dark. Hawk tells me that now is the time to take it while John holds my left hand for reassurance. I take a deep breath and focus on my right hand. I feel a slight tingling sensation as my arm becomes transparent and slowly push it through the glass until my hand is above the necklace.

I exhale slowly as I make only my hand solid in order to grab the necklace, and breathe a deep sigh of relief when my fingers make contact. Very slowly, I lift up the necklace and am beyond relieved when it takes a transparent hue after I phase my hand again. I carefully withdraw my hand and when I hold it up to show the others, they crowd around me to get a better look. Hawk grins through the darkness and calls out to the clones. "We have the package. Prepare to roll out."

Nine

"Are you ready for this?" Talia asks me. We are on the roof of the hotel dressed in black, skintight cat bugler outfits making last minute checks to our equipment. I pull out the motorcycle goggles she bought for me earlier from my duffel bag and say "I was born ready." Talia rolls her eyes but smiles despite her attempts to be serious. I place my arms around her and ask "Why? Are you afraid I won't come back in one piece?" Talia places her hands on my arms and in one swift motion; she slips out of my grip, and twists my right arm around my back. "We have to be prepared for anything Nine" she says releasing my arm. "Don't let what happened last night fool you. We are only here to get the crown and the sceptre. Anything else that happens here is merely a...diversion." As I rub my wrist I give an indignant huff. "Is that all I am to you? A diversion."

Talia gives a small laugh and turns to face me. "Oh you're much more than a diversion to me love. You're my sparring partner, personal punching bag, my entertainment, a confidant, partner in crime, and the best kisser I've ever known." My anger quickly melts away but I can't resist one last dig. I pretend to check the duffel bag one last time and casually remark "Best kisser? More like only kisser." Talia says nothing but suddenly, my legs are swept out from under me and I'm soon dangling upside down over the roof. "What did you say?" Talia demands as I swing precariously over the edge. I start to worry I crossed a line but I can see that despite her tone, she's actually grinning from ear to ear. "You heard" I respond playing along. Talia uses her telekinesis to bring me closer and says "I'll have you know that you're not the first and if you ever tick me off I will throw you off a roof." I glare at her from my upside down eye level and a mischievous look spreads across her face.

She smiles sweetly at me and says "If you were truly the first, would I know how to do this?" She moves me into a position so that my lips are level with her lips and she begins to kiss me as I'm upside down. This is like no other kiss I've ever had and the blood rushing to my head only makes it better. It starts slow, but builds up in intensity and speed as Talia cups my face with her hands. She pauses to take a breath and deepens the kiss when our lips touch again. When Talia finally pulls away, she carefully lowers me to the ground and allows me to catch my breath. When my breathing and heart rate returns to normal, she offers me get hand and pulls me up.

"Now" she says "Are you going to keeping messing around or are you ready to go to work?" I pick up the bag and say "Let's do this." Talia walks around me and stops when she is directly behind. She wraps her arms around my chest and says "Whatever you do, don't squirm around. I don't want to drop you in the middle of London and create a citywide panic. That face of yours is much too handsome for the obituary column." Before I can respond, Talia bends her knees and says "Too infinity, and beyond" as she launches us into the air and zips through the night sky.

Flying across the city of London is absolutely fantastic and I get a great view of all the major landmarks. In no time, we pass above the walls of the Tower of London and land on the White Tower. While Talia uses her Legacy to summon a heavy cloud of fog to cover the Tower, I open the bag and remove Talia's Xitharis, her laptop, and the Helm of Darkness. First, Talia charges the Xitharis with her flight and throws it me. As soon as I catch it, I start to levitate in the air and hover a few feet above the roof. Then, Talia boots up her computer and hacks into the security system in seconds. "Okay the alarms have all been shut off and now the guards in the security room are looking at a recording of the jewel room. Good luck Nine." I start to fly towards the barracks but turn around and ask "Don't I get a kiss for good luck?"

Talia glances at me as she places the Helm on her head and says "If you don't get moving I will kick you for good luck and throw you onto the next building." I grin, zip next Talia, give her a quick peek on the cheek, and call out "You complete me" before she has time to react. As I fly away, I think I see her give me the finger but she turns invisible when I look back at her. I land silently on the roof of the Waterloo Barracks, after some shaky flying and make my way over to the skylight. Once I move into position, I remove Clarent from the scabbard at my side and take a deep breath before placing both hands on the hilt and plunging the sword through the glass. Although the glass is several inches thick, Clarent cuts through it like it's made of butter. As soon as the blade penetrates the glass, ice begins to spread along the crack created by the sword. Soon the entire window has turned to ice and with a well placed kick, I cause the window to cave in and hurtle towards the floor. Using my temporary flying abilities, I follow the ice through the new hole in the ceiling and stop it from crashing to floor and creating unwanted attention. When my feet touch the ground, I immediately start looking around for the crown and sceptre.

I place Clarent back into its scabbard and pull out a flashlight to help me see better. With the aid of the flashlight, I quickly locate the case where the crown and sceptre are displayed and use Clarent to get it open. Even in the darkness, the assorted pieces of Loralite seem to glow and shine with a bright radiance. With both items in my hand, I look up towards the roof about to leave but something catches my eye. I turn to my right, and see a gold necklace with a large teardrop shaped sapphire at the end. When I come closer, I see that small diamonds and emeralds decorate the length of the chain. I cut a hole through the glass with Clarent and place the necklace into my pocket. Then, I rise through the roof and fly to the White Tower. After I land, Talia makes herself visible and places her laptop into the duffel bag. When I hand her the crown and sceptre, she quickly looks at the goods and stuffs them into the bag as well.

I then pick up the bag, and we fly back to the hotel together. Along the way, Talia calls Lestrade and tells him to have the celebratory drinks ready for us when we arrive. Over the wind, Talia shouts "Nice job. I'll be able to remove the Loralite as soon as we get back home." I ask her what she intends to do with the Loralite once she removes it but before she can answer, the roof of our hotel comes into view and I see that both Lestrade and Sandor are waiting for us. A look crosses Talia's that makes me uneasy and when we land, she asks Lestrade if everything is alright. With a grim look, Lestrade faces us and says "The DC team ran into some trouble."

Six

I place the necklace around my neck as we make our way to the exit which makes John remark that he's never seen anything more beautiful. I blush but then he unwise remarks "I mean look at all those diamonds." I smack him across the back of his head and mutter "You ass." He grins that infuriating grin of his that makes his eyes shimmer and says "I'm only joking. You're much better looking than a hundred Hope Diamonds." I give him a quick kiss where I hit him and say "Smart boy." John looks like he's about to say something but is interrupted by Sam and Adam. The two of them are walking in front of us and have stooped to see what the commotion going on behind them is about. They give us a look but resume their conversation. "I can't believe we robbed the Smithsonian" says Adam. Sam is grinning like a manic and says "I know. We're like superheroes only we steal stuff." I shake my head and John interjects by say "I think that's called a super villain Sam." We all laugh and are about to go though the exit when I hear an announcement that makes my blood run cold. "Ryan Hawk, Sam Goode, Malcolm Goode, and Adam Sutton" a familiar female voice calls out through a megaphone. "This is Special Agent Walker of the FBI. The building is surrounded. You and your friends must lay down your weapons and come out with your hands up." When no one comes out she slowly adds "If none of you surrender within the next twenty minutes, we have been authorized to use lethal force. Consider this your first and only warning."

**Dun Dun Dun! The return of Walker. I know some of you will not like this but there is more than meets the eye with this development. Another character that was believed to be dead will be making an appearance soon. Who could it be? Don't forget to review:D**


	17. Chapter 17

**Oh my God 74 reviews! Thank you all so much for all the support and enthusiasm you've given my story. Ok this chapter has some action and as promised, the return of a character. Walker's survival will also be explained and as always, please remember to review. **

Chapter 17

Four

For a minute, no one speaks. Then, Six grabs my arm and I'm stunned to see there is a look of fear in her eyes. "This isn't possible" she says her voice wavering slightly. "I killed Walker, I saw her die." The clones have stripped off their firemen gear and are now arming themselves with the weapons they concealed under their disguises. Malcolm, Sam, and Adam appear shocked that FBI knows who they are while Hawk has pulled out a walkie talkie and is speaking rapidly into it. "Sergei" he says as he strips off his gear. "We need an immediate evac. The Feds have the building surrounded and will breach in fifteen minutes. We're heading to the roof now with the package." He pauses for a moment before adding "Bring the Sentinels." Hawk attaches the walkie talkie to his belt and marches purposefully towards the stairs. We rush to catch up with him and Malcolm asks if he has a plan. Hawk turn to look at us and says. "We seem to have one advantage. The Feds don't know that Four and Six are here." Hawk looks at the two of us in the eye and tells us his plan. "When we get to the roof, I need the two of you to buy us some time. Throw everything you got at them but don't make a move until I give the signal." I nod to show I'm following along and Six asks what the signal will be. Hawk smiles and gestures to Valentine. "Valentine will hit the self destruct switch on the fire truck. The Feds will be taken by surprise and will be too busy dealing with the mayhem you cause to do anything when our reinforcements arrive."

Six nods, gives Sam the Hope Diamond for safekeeping, and takes my hand. While the others make their way to the roof, Six and I slowly open the front entrance to avoid detection. A large amount of bystanders are watching from behind the thirty plus vehicles that have parked in front of the Smithsonian. Each is filled with several agents or Mogs and in the front of the crowd is Agent Walker. When I see her, my hands clench and I feel bile rise to my throat. Never have I felt hatred this strong for another person and wrap my hand around Excalibur almost eager to make sure Walker stays dead this time. As if Six feels my tension, she leans close and whispers "Wait for the signal. Then you can take her down." I grudgingly listen to Six and I promise to wait.

For several minutes, there is silence. Then, without warning our fire truck bursts into flames with a violent explosion that nearly knocks us off our feet. Three agents are thrown in the air and five Mogs who were standing too close to the truck burst into ash. The bystanders immediately start screaming and running in different directions while the remaining Mogs and agents take cover. Walker disappears into the sea of agents and I feel Six shuffle slightly as she removes her sword. Suddenly, one of the FBI vans is struck by lightning causing agents to scatter. I point Excalibur towards some nearby Mogs and blast them with a beam of fire. Then, I use my telekinesis to start lifting cars off the ground and slamming them on top of Mogs. Six soon copies me and continues to use her sword to summon lightning. The agents and handful of Mogs that survived our onslaught are in complete chaos and are unable to figure out how to stop our attacks.

Then to add more trouble to agent's misery, a large black helicopter appears in the sky followed by four predator drones. The surviving Mogs try to shoot the helicopter down with their cannons, but the guns on the drones quickly reduce them to ash. The agents then attempt to return fire but the troops on board proceed to open fire on all the vehicles Six and I didn't destroy forcing the agents to retreat. Six then forms an air cushion under us so we can get up to the roof and rejoin the others. Once we reach the top, the others thank us for the distraction, and helicopter begins its decent. As soon as the copter lands, Hawk opens the door and we rush inside eager to leave the Smithsonian behind us. Gregorovich confirms with Hawk that everyone is one board and then returns to cockpit for takeoff.

As the Smithsonian becomes a dot in distance the others begin to cheer and I start to believe we're in the clear. As soon as this thought enter my mind, I hear Hodge say "Sir, we are being pursued." I look out the window and sure enough, six SUVs with sirens are on the road in hot pursuit of the copter. Hawk scowls and barks out "Everyone strap in. This is going to get hairy." He tells Gregorovich to step on the gas, and tells one of the androids to open the back. When the door opens, wind rushes in to the cargo area and one of the droids hands Hawk a long metal tube. Hawk aims the tube at the lead car and fires a rocket with a loud puff of smoke. The lead SUV is blown into the air and lands on top of the car right behind it. The remaining four vehicles pull out of Hawk's firing range but I use my telekinesis to shove them to side of the road. "Well done Number Four" Gregorovich remarks through the intercom. "We will arrive at Dulles International Airport in approximately ten minutes. Stay vigilant and remain calm. Tywin has the plane ready to take off as soon as we arrive." I sigh and rest my head against Six's shoulder. _This is not going according to plan_ I think to myself as Six runs her hand through my hair.

Five

I have a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when Lestrade breaks the news to me. "What kind of a problem?" I ask fearing the worst. "It seems the FBI and the Mogadorians somehow identified Adam, Sam, Malcolm, and Hawk when they entered the museum. The Feds attempted to apprehend them and they were forced to use evasive tactics in order to escape." I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that something worse could have happened and listen carefully as Lestrade continues to fill me in on the situation. When we reach our room, I tell everyone to pack their bags and prepare to fly out. Sandor and Lestrade head to their rooms while Nine wraps a reassuring arm around me. "Don't worry. I know they'll make it out alright. The Feds don't stand a chance against Six." I grin as I try to image someone foolish enough to attempt to hold Six against her will and pull Nine into our room. "Pack quickly" I tell him as I grab my bag and start shoving clothes inside. "I want to get out of here ASAP." Nine nods and follows my example. As I pack, I can't help but feel a nagging sensation that what's going on in DC right now is much more serious than it sounds. _What's the worst that could happen?_ I think to myself.

Six

"Get ready to move everyone!" Gregorovich shouts from the cockpit. We are hovering above Dulles International Airport with nearly twenty five military vehicles in tow attempting to force the helicopter to land. One of the vehicles, a beige Humvee with a gun turret mounted on the roof opens fire on the copter causing dozens of bullets to strike the hull. I see Adam flinch slightly and Hawk grimaces but none of the bullets penetrate. When we pass over the gate dividing the airport from the main road, the convoy merely continues driving and knocks down the fence. I grip my sword tightly concerned that we'll be shot down before making it to the plane but Gregorovich suddenly calls out "We're almost at the hanger." I loosen my grip slightly when the helicopter starts to land in front of the plane but my relief is short lived when I see that the vehicles pursing us are quickly approaching our plane.

"Everybody out!" Hawk shouts. As we leap out of the copter he turns around to face the incoming vehicles and tells the clones to repel the attack. Valentine, Jace, Hodge, Cato, Finnick, and Hawk aim their guns at the nearest vehicles and the barrage of their assault destroys three of the cars. The remaining cars stop and agents inside take cover and attempt to return fire. The engines on the plane begin to whirl and just as we begin to board, another fifty police cars and Humvees appear from the side of the airport and race towards us. "There's too many." Finnick yells over his shoulder as he fires another round at the incoming cars. Hawk steps out of the plane and in a grim tone he says "Tywin just told me that he can't get the plane to takeoff safely with all these vehicles. Unless we can get rid of the vehicles here and hold off the rest we're stuck." With a cold shudder running up my spine I come to the realization that someone has to stay behind for the mission to succeed. I step forward and announce "I'll stay behind." Hawk pales and John runs in front of me. "No! You can't do this." He grasps me by the shoulders. "I won't let you" he says angrily. "It's not up to you John" I say softly. John looks back at me defiantly and says "Fine. If you're staying then I'm staying." I look at Sam, Malcom and Adam who have gathered around me and look Hawk straight in the eye to let them know I will do what needs to be done. I cup my hands around John's face and I pull him into a long and forceful kiss.

His lips brush mine with equal intensity and when I pull away, I look deep into his bright blue eyes which I adore so. "I'm sorry" I whisper right before I blast him with a powerful electric shock. The others jump back shocked at what I've done and Sam's eyes are wide with horror. John is heroically passed out on the tarmac but still alive. "Five showed me how to do that" I tell the others who continue to gape at me in silence. I pick John up and hand his unconscious body to Malcolm. I turn to Sam "Keep him safe for me." "I will" Sam promises. I nod my thanks and turn to Hawk. "Captain pull your men back. This is going to get ugly and give me whatever weapons you can spare." Hawk hands me his machine gun, a pistol, and has Cato give me several magazines of ammunition. "We will come back for you Six" Hawk promises. "If... When you get out of here head for Nine's place in Chicago. I know the weapons aren't much but we will leave the Sentinel drones to help you." I strap my new weapons on and reply "I intend to make it out." Hawk nods and says "Good luck Number Six" before walking onto the plane. Adam looks towards the numerous vehicles rapidly speeding towards us and says "Thank you Six. I we might not be able to stay but I can still help you." He then slams his foot down on the ground which causes a massive seismic wave to shake the ground and throws several of the vehicles into the air. Others fall into new formed cracks in the asphalt. Adam grins and quickly follows the others into the plane.

Three minutes later, the plane is slowly pulling onto runway while agents and Mogs try to shoot the engines. I summon thunder to destroy the Humvees, use wind and telekinesis to flip over cars, and shoot at anyone that gets too close. My sword cleaves through Mogs like they're made of paper and the agents attempt to keep their distance. The Sentinels bring death from above and all the Mogs can do is flee. Suddenly, I hear a roar and when I turn around, I see that the plane has achieved liftoff and is ascending into the air. I grin with relief and am about to resume fighting when without warning; something hits the back of my head with great force. I fall to the ground and see stars as my head pounds with pain and nausea. I'm roughly turned over onto my back and see a man dressed in a riot mask and bulletproof vest is standing over me with a nightstick in his hand. Nine other people in FBI uniforms then swarm over me and one of them injects the contents of a syringe into my neck. My vision starts going hazy as I'm lifted into the air and loaded into a nearby truck. _John _I think to myself as I slowly loss consciousness.

Nine

The news comes as we are flying over the Atlantic. The screen in front of Talia's seat turns on with a burst of color to show us the face of Hawk. When I see his grim expression, I instantly know something has gone wrong. Talia lets go of my hand and asks Hawk what happened. He closes his eyes for a moment and says "Turn on your TV to CNN." I grab the remote and turn on the forty two inch plasma screen TV mounted near the front of the plane. I flip through the channels until I reach CNN and almost drop the remote when the reporter starts talking. "Earlier today after a bold robbery at the Smithsonian Museum, the group of terrorists engaged in a severe gun battle with the FBI, police, and local SWAT teams at Dulles International Airport. While the majority of the gunmen have not been apprehended, five of them have been identified." The screen then pulls away from the newscaster and the pictures of Sam, Adam, Malcolm, Hawk, and John appear as they are identified. "Sam and Malcolm Goode the father and son accomplices of John Smith, Adam Sutton an escaped convict from a Virginia prison, Ryan Hawk a former Navy SEAL who went AWOL several years ago, and America's Public Enemy Number One John Smith. Smith was last seen nearly three months ago when he was apprehended by authorities and escaped from a secure prisoner transport in Colorado. Although the motives of the terrorist group are unknown at this point, one unidentified member has been captured." A mug shot of Six appears on the right side of the screen as the story continues. "The suspect was injured during the gun battle with police, but is in custody and will be questioned when she recovers." Talia hits the mute button and says "Shit!" as she grips the armrest of her seat. "What happened Hawk?" Sandor asks.

"There were too many hostiles for Tywin to takeoff so Six stayed behind to buy us enough time." Talia's face turns dark with anger and she punches the seat in front of me so hard, her hand goes straight through. She takes a minute to compose herself and then asks "How is John holding up?" Hawk looks back and replies "Six knocked him out so we could get him onto the plane and he hasn't woken up yet." Talia grits her teeth and says "I will inform the other team about what's going on. Head back to Olympus and prepare a rescue team to bring Six back. I will locate her when we return." Hawk nods and then asks "What should we with our other packages?" "Put the cryogenic chambers in Eddard's lab and the prisoners in cells. I will deal with them later." Hawk salutes us and the screen goes dark. Talia hits the mute button again and the news resumes. "The government is now offering a twenty million dollar reward for any information that leads to the gang's capture. Thirty million if someone apprehends them alone. All the terrorists should be considered armed and very dangerous and any sightings should be reported to the police. The Smithsonian is offering a two hundred thousand dollar reward for the return of the Hope Diamond which was stolen by the terrorists. In a related story, both the Tower of London and the Louvre were robbed by unknown parties. In both cases, national treasures of immense historical value were taken causing massive public outcry. More information will follow as these stories develop." I shut off the TV and put my head in my hands. _Don't lose hope Nine_ Talia says in my mind. _I will find her_.

Four and a half hours later we land in Argentina and return to Talia's house. Hannibal, Marina, Eight, and Ella receive us in the living room and Talia fills them in on what happened. Everyone is shocked that Six was captured and tears form in Ella's eyes. Marina comforts her and Talia ask Hannibal if the locator spell is prepared. Hannibal nods and leads us to the dining room where a massive map of the United States has been laid on the floor and Talia's chest sits on the table. After she removes an orange stone from the chest, Talia then asks Hannibal for an article of Six's clothing and he hands her a shirt. Talia places the shirt in the center of the map and begins to chant. As she chants, the shirt rises into the air and starts to glow with a blue light. The stone in Talia's hand begins to pulse and a beam of blue light pulls away from the shirt and settles on a spot on the map. Talia stops chanting and examines the spot where the beam landed. I look over her shoulder to see better and immediately regret it. West Virginia is where they have taken Six.

Six

When I come to I'm sitting in an interrogation cell not unlike the one in New Mexico. I shudder as I recall my stay there and try to analyze my surroundings. The only furniture in the room is a metal table which is bolted to the floor, my chair which I am shackled to, and two chairs across the table from me. There is a dark, tinted window which I can not see through, a door which is the only entrance, and the walls appear to be made of rock. When I see the rock wall, I start to feel fear. _Christ _I think to myself. _They've taken me to West Virginia_. Before I can worry any further the door opens and five people walk in. The first three are Mogs armed with cannons and the last two are Agent Walker and Agent Purdy. I try to lunge at Walker but the chains hold me down. The agents sit down across from me and for a while no one speaks. Then, Walker looks at me and asks "Are you surprised to see me Number Six?" I glare back and reply "Somewhat. The last time I saw you, I threw you off a bridge." Walker places her hands on the table and says "You thought you threw me off a bridge. You actually threw a clone of me off the bridge. The Mogadorians have very impressive cloning technology that is light years ahead of our own. Unfortunately, the clones they create have a tendency to be unstable." I continue to glare and say "Your clone killed Sarah Hart." Walker exchanges a look with Purdy and says "Ah. We were wondering what happened to Miss. Hart. Well now we know. But enough about us, where are your friends and why did they take the Hope Diamond?"

I ignore the question and ask "How did you find us?" Walker smiles and say "Despite the fact that your team knocked out the security system at the museum, they forgot to take into account the Smithsonian's facial recognition software. Every government building in the US is equipped with it in order to help find criminals and terrorists. Your team consists of both and it was just a matter of surrounding the museum and waiting for you to come out. Now do yourself a favor and tell us where they've gone to." I flip Walker off and say "Guess." Purdy gives a sigh of frustration and says "Still uncooperative I see." He stands up and gets directly in my face. "If you don't give us some answers in the next minute, the Mogadorians can start questioning you."

I look at Purdy and slam my forehead directly into his nose. I hear a sickening crunch and blood spurts out in a colorful burst. Purdy screams in pain and the Mogs in the room pull me out of my chair and blindfold me. I'm marched out of the room, and when the blind is removed, I am hanging upside down in a room that is horribly familiarly. This is the same room where Katarina was killed. Walker and the three Mogs that brought me here eye me warily from a corner. As the blood rushes to my head another Mog enters the room. This Mog look like an ordinary human but his skin has the same bleached coloring that all his kind share. He appears to be wearing some sort of military uniform that consists of a dark jacket with several medals hanging from it and dress pants. He stares at me hanging upside down with cold, emotionless eyes before walking over to me and pulling my chain so we are looking at each other face to face. "So this is the famous Number Six" he says in a harsh and raspy voice. He then releases the chain which causes me to swing into to the wall and bang my head against it painfully.

My head begins to pound and I'm briefly dazed but the Mog pulls me roughly towards himself again and asks "Where are your friends hiding?" I spit in his face making him roar with anger and backhand me across the face. He wipes his face with a towel one of the other Mogs hands him and backhands me again. "Loric scum" he growls walking over to one of the tables piled with torture equipment. While he mulls over what "toy" he wants to use, the Mog that handed him the towel removes a syringe from his pocket and sticks it into my neck. "Wouldn't want any of your Legacies to return while you're our guest" the Mogs says as the contents of the syringe are injected. The uniformed Mog then resumes his position in front of me and tells his men to prepare a bucket. A medium seized bucket is filled with water from a nearby sink and placed right below my head.

The head Mog pulls me by my hair and with his other hand, holds a short but razor sharp dagger. "Now" he says, lazily twisting the dagger around. "Let's try this again. Where are your friends?" I clamp my mouth shut and refuse to acknowledge that I heard the question. The Mog sighs as though he expected this response and makes a motion with his hand. The three other Mogs surround me, lower the chain, and shove my head into the water. They hold my head down for a good ten seconds and when they pull me out, I sputter water through my nose and mouth. They dunk me three more times before stopping and allowing their boss to question me again. "Where are your friends?" I cough up water and hiss "Go to Hell." He casually makes a slow cut across my forehead and says "We already are in Hell. And I am the devil."I try not to scream as he cuts me but the pain is blinding and I gasp for air when he finishes. He makes another slow cut along my arm and this time I do scream.

After he finishes the new cut, he tells the others to put me right side up. Now instead of all the blood rushing to my head, my blood drips downward and into my eyes. The Mogs then take turns hitting me, dunking me in water, cutting me, and all the while the leader asks the same questions. "Where are your friends? What are you planning? Where is Number Five? Why did you steal the Hope Diamond?" I maintain my vow of silence and while I scream loudly, I refuse to allow them the satisfaction of seeing me cry. This routine goes on for a few hours but suddenly he catches me off guard with a question. "What is the Society of Shadows planning?" I gasp in shock and he grins after finally getting a reaction from me. Before he can inquire further Walker unexpectedly steps in. "Commander Trant. I would like to ask some questions if you don't mind. The Society of Shadows is of interest to the FBI as well." Trant grunts his approval and allows Walker to stand in front of me. My face is swollen, cuts crisscross my body, and I have lost all circulation to my arms which are pulled above my head but I try to give Walker my most intimidating look of contempt. "Six" she says. "If you can give me anything we will stop the interrogation for the day." I continue to glare at her, but I'm in so much pain her offer is too tempting to ignore. "Did the Society of Shadows steal the diamond?"

Seeing how this does not hurt the others at all I give a small nod. "Why?" Walker probes. I shrug my shoulders. "We heard it had some connection to Lorien" I reply trying to be as vague as possible. Walker looks almost excited "So the Society of Shadows is connected to the Loric?" I groan inwardly at my stupidity for revealing too much and reason the best way out is to throw Walker off. "Why do you care about the Society?" I ask. Luckily my plan works and Walker pauses but answers the question to my surprise. "The Bureau has received many reliable tips and whispers about the Society of Shadows of the past few years. Our informants in the underworld claim that there is an invisible criminal empire that controls the drug trade, arms dealing, the mercenary trade, and all the smuggling operations in Europe and South America. Despite the fact that no one has ever been connected with this "shadow" organization, law enforcement officials over the world have found strange symbols at various high profile crime scenes related to the Society of Shadows. One day, the FBI got a hold of a case with these symbols and the Mogadorians recognized it as Loric. We want to shut them down for good and the Mogadorians share our desire due to the high number of Mogadorian fatalities in connection with the Society." Walker then takes a step back to look at me carefully. "I think you know who runs the Society seeing how they financed your little operation at the Smithsonian. I feel my heart race with panic but I keep my face neutral. "Was that a question?" Walker scowls and gets directly into my face. "Who controls the Society of Shadows?" I pretend to think about it. "Pablo Escobar and Jimmy Hoffa" I reply recalling the brief lesson Five gave us about organized crime. Walker's scowl intensifies but she quickly regains her composure. "What are they planning?" I stare directly at Trant who narrows his eyes at me. I nod my head towards the Mogs in the room and slowly say "Killing every damn Mog on this miserable planet." Walker gives an exasperated sigh and turns to Trant.

"Any finally questions Commander?" Trant brushes past Walker and looks down at me. He savagely hits me across the face and says "What have you done to the General?" I taste blood when he hits me and give him a blank look. "General who?" I ask confused as to who he's talking about. Walker steps in again and says "I think it's time to call it a day." Trant nods and as I'm dragged out of the room, he calls out "If you don't start answering my questions tomorrow, I start cutting off your fingers." I feel a twinge of fear and immediately dread what is to become of me. My captors say nothing as they drag me through the halls of the cave and we finally come to a stop in front of a large cell with a shimmering blue force field and a bunk bed. One Mog punches in a code while the other holds me by my arms. Once the field is down, they push me inside, reactivate the field, and walk off. I pick myself off the floor and am about to sit on the lower bunk when I hear someone say "Six?" I whip my head up and nearly fall out of my bed when I see the owner of the voice. Starring down at me from the top bunk is Sarah Hart.

**So there you have it. Six is in a bit of a jam but help is on the way. Like many of you I'm very excited for the next book which comes out August but dreading to see who dies. Who do you think will die? Have a nice day everyone **


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello everyone I would like to start off by sincerely apologizing for the long delay. I've been suffering from writers block once again and had to reread the books for some inspiration. Also, my friends got my addicted to Breaking Bad so I've been distracted as well. However, I do have some good news. I'm all caught up with Breaking Bad so there will be no further distractions and ive planned out the next few chapters so the delays will not be this long. Now I will be addressing some questions. Yes, the Garde will acquire new abilities (Six will get one this chapter and Nine soon after). The resurrected Garde will return within the next four chapters (sorry I can't make it happen sooner but bringing people back to life does not happen overnight). And three, Five and Six control the elements in this story (earth, fire, wind, water, electricity) which then allows them to control the weather. However, Five is older than Six and has more practice so she can freeze things and shoot electricity from her hands. She will be teaching Six how to do all this as the story progresses. So please don't hate me too much for the long wait and don't forget to review:D**

Chapter 18

Five

I sit down in a chair to catch my breath as I examine the map in front of me. Nine looks at me questioningly and I use my telepathy to say _Sorcery takes a lot out of a girl_. Marina looks like she is about ask me something but is interrupted when John bursts into the room quickly followed by Sam, Adam, Bernie Kosar, Reese, Crayton, Eddard, Valmont, Hawk, and Sergei. "Where is she?" John demands his eyes frantically settling on the map we are all standing over. He rushes over and practically shoves Nine to get a better look at the map. While Eight informs John about the update on Six, Eddard and Sergei confer privately with me. "The secondary targets have been placed in the lab's cryogenic chambers and await the next stage" Eddard whispers discretely. Sergei then adds "The General has regained consciousness and is demanding an audience with you." I narrow my eyes when I hear this but put duty ahead of my contempt. "How are Gregor, McCullen and Slade feeling?" I inquire. Gregorovich sighs and replies "Gregor and McCullen will make a full recovery but Slade will certainly lose the use of his damaged eye." I turn to look at Marina and wonder if she might be able to help.

Before I can ask her, Nine drifts over and asks "Who's the General?" I glare at him for listening to our conversation but he at least has the decency to apologize and say "Sorry, it's the enhanced hearing." The others have also heard and are now looking at me expectantly. I glance at Hannibal who nods his head at me as if to say tell them. I look at my friends and say "While the Smithsonian was being robbed, I had a second group kidnap a high ranking Mogadorian commander from his house." Adam stares at me in disbelief, Eight and Nine look slightly impressed, and the rest look as confused as Adam. "This particular Mog is the general of the Mogadorian forces and has information that we need to beat the Mogs for good." I pause momentarily before quietly adding "He is also Adam's father." Everyone is now starring at Adam who has averted his eyes toward the floor like it's the most interesting thing in the world. Feeling guilty about making Adam the center of attention, I start walking to the exit. "Hawk summon the Ishphenni, we need to leave once I finish with the General." The others follow me out and when Adam catches to me he asks what I am going to do. I frown and reply "He wanted to talk to me. I intend to gather information from regardless of whether he is willing or unwilling. If he's wasting my time I'll make him sorry he decided to bother us."

Six

I stare at Sarah in shock and try to resist the urge to start touching her to see if she is real and not a figment of my imagination. Despite my injuries, I pull myself out of the bed to see her better. At a glance, Sarah looks completely unchanged but as I look closer, I see she is much thinner than the last time I saw her, her hair has been cut so it only hangs at her shoulder, and she is wearing an orange jumpsuit like the kind convicts have to wear in prison. "This isn't possible" I finally stammer after a minute of awkward silence. Sarah climbs down the bunk so we're face to face and asks "What's not possible?" I hesitate momentarily before deciding to tell her what happened in Colorado. "I saw you die." I practically whisper "Walker's clone killed you. We tried to save you but we weren't fast enough." A horrible thought then comes to me. What if this Sarah standing in front of me is just clone assigned to keep an eye on me or worse, Setrakus Ra? I try to use telekinesis to pull Sarah into the air forgetting that my Legacies have been taken away temporarily. Instead, I simply grab Sarah by the neck and hoist her into the air. "What are you?" I demand in the most threatening tone I can manage. Before Sarah can respond, my body suddenly decides to remind me of my injuries and the brief surge of strength I experienced deserts me and I am forced to drop Sarah. She gasps for breath when she hits the floor and backs into a corner, a terrified look in her eyes.

"Wha…What are you talking about? You know who I am Six. What the hell's your problem?" I stand at a distance and glare at Sarah. "Prove it." Sarah stares at me like I've gone crazy. "How?" She asks incredulously. I think for a moment until an idea comes to me. "How did we survive the battle at Paradise when I first meet you and John?"

Sarah hesitates before tentatively saying "BK turned into some creature to kill the horned monster that destroyed the school." I nod and gesture for her to continue. "You got stabbed so Sam took you off the battlefield and I saved John by stabbing a Mog through the chest with a kitchen knife I took from the Home Economics classroom." Sarah stops and looks at me warily as she stands up. "Six I don't understand why you're asking me this. You were there." I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that this is the real Sarah and not some imposter.

I sink to the floor and apologize for choking her. I then go on to explain what happened in New Mexico, seeing her "die", meeting Five, and John's coma. Sarah sits up when I mention John and demands to know how he is. I suddenly realize how awkward this will seem now that John and I are together but I manage to avoid talking about our relationship and reply "He's much better now. I've gotten to know him a lot closer over the last few months."Once I finish my story, I ask Sarah how she ended up here. A dark look crosses her face and she becomes very quiet. "They came a week after the FBI took John" she begins. "It was the middle of the night and we were fast asleep. Our only warning was when they broke the door down. The FBI grabbed my parents first, followed my brothers, my sister, and then me. They put hoods over our faces and shoved us into a van. When we finally stopped, they separated us and threw me in this cell for two days. On the third day, they took me out and brought me to a room with chains and a large desk in the middle. They chained me to a chair and then sent those Feds Walker and Purdy to question me. I'm sorry Six but I told them everything. They said…"

Sarah falters momentarily but regains her composure "They said if I didn't answer their questions they would torture my family in front of me." I sit back shocked at the brutality the government is willing to go to in order to catch us and feel my resolve harden. It seems that we have two enemies to deal with while we attempt to hide out on this miserable planet. I sigh and put me head against my bed. "We've got to get out of here Six" Sarah says in a desperate tone. I nod grimily thinking of my last escape and how the same ploy is unlikely to work a second time. Suddenly, I feel an intense pain start building up in the pit of my stomach. I groan slightly trying to stand up. Sarah gets up concerned and asks if I'm ok. I don't respond and the pain starts traveling across my body and begins increasing with every passing second. There is a pounding in my head and when I try to take a step forward, I collapse on my side. My body now feels like I'm on fire and when I try to scream, no sound is able to form. _What's happening to me_? I think before I pass out.

Nine

Five brings us to the gym which has been cleared of equipment and is empty save the thirty men armed with guns surrounding an enormous Mog in military attire as well as a woman and a teenage girl who stand quivering to the side. When we get closer I see that the women are Mogs as well and have the same bleached skin the large one has. I quickly lose any sympathy I had for them and turn my attention to the General. Although restrained, this Mog towers over the clones and droids that guard him and stands nearly seven feet tall. Unlike the women who cower in fear, the General holds his head high and looks at everything with disdain as though he could crush everything in sight with his bare hands. When Talia pauses several feet in front of the General, one of the men steps out of formation and approaches her. The clone has the same hair, build, and height of his brothers but unlike the other clones he carries a sword made of a black metal and a massive bandage covers the upper part of the left side of his face while a severe scar peaks out from behind the bandages. The clone bows in front of Talia who says "Rise Private Slade." Slade stands up and Talia offers her condolences about his injury. He thanks her for her concern and Talia returns her attention to the Mog in front of her. "Well General you asked to see me. What do you want?" The General ignores Talia and his glare settles on Adam. "Traitor" he growls. "Father" Adam replies as if father is the worst insult he can think of.

One of the guards hits the General in the sternum with his gun winding him. "Answer the question" the guard demands. The General looks straight at Talia and growls "I challenge you to an Akri Ki duel to the death." The Cepans gasp with horror while the General looks on with a self satisfied smirk. The clones look to Talia for guidance on how to proceed and I turn to Sandor and ask "What's an Akri Ki duel?" "In the past when Loric had a dispute, they could challenge each other to duels to settle the matter" Sandor informs me. "The loser of the duel would be bound to satisfy any demand the winner made. However the duels were outlawed when they started involving killing." I look at Talia and slightly hope she would just shoot the General and be done with the matter. But knowing her, I know she will take the challenge. "What are your terms?" she asks. The General grins and says "When I win my family and I must be released and you must hand the traitor over to my custody." "Very well" says Talia. "But if I win, you and your family will remain my prisoners for the duration of this war and we will show you no mercy. You will also be subject to questioning and give us any information we need. Do you accept my terms?"

The General cast another disdainful look at Talia and says "Done." Talia turns to Slade and says "Give him his weapon and shoot him and the women if he does anything funny." The clones back off the General but keep their guns aimed at him as Slade removes the sword hanging by his side and throws it in front of the General. When the General picks up the sword, it starts glowing with a green fire that leaves an acidic taste in the air. Talia removes Talon and Wrath from their scabbards and extends her arms out to the side. For a minute, the room is completely silent. Then, with a mighty roar, the General rushes at Talia and their swords meet each other with a loud clang. Over the next few minutes, the two of them engage in a deadly dance. The General swings his sword down repeatedly but Talia either rolls out of the way or blocks it with her blades. Each time one of them gets close, the other blocks the attack or pushes back with a counter attack. Steel rings against steel as Talia pushes for an advantage and the General continues to swing his sword. At one point, Talia creates six duplicates of herself and I see a look of fear in the General's eyes. However, the General grits his teeth and cuts three of the duplicates down right away.

Although they may look like her, none of the duplicates have Talia's fighting skills. Talia and the remaining duplicates then attack as a coordinated team and manage to cut the General twice. I almost cheer in celebration but the feeling is short-lived after the General defeats the remaining duplicates leaving the real Talia exposed. Suddenly, on the next swing of the General's sword, Talia evades the slash and is able to cut the General's side. He howls in pain and swings the sword around his right side which catches Talia off guard. The flat side of the blade hits her on the arm and she gasps in pain as she falls down on the ground. The General grins triumphantly as he stands over a stunned Talia with his sword raised above his head. "For Mogadore!" He shouts as he brings the sword down.

Five

When the flat of the blade hits me, I feel an agonizing burn along my arm. The green fire along the General's sword feels like a thousand burning needles being shoved into my skin and I cry out in pain. I then promptly lose my balance and fall to the floor with Talon and Wrath still in my hands. The General then appears above with his sword held high. He shouts out "For Mogadore!" as the sword flies down to decapitate me. Time seems to slow down I use my telekinesis to stop the sword in midair and roll out of the way. The General's face takes on a look of confusion as his sword suddenly becomes stuck in the air for no apparent reason and that look quickly becomes one of horror as I bring my swords down. I bring them down directly along the shaft of his blade and in an intense burst of light; my swords cut his into two pieces. Then, as he attempts to swing at me with the remainder of his sword, I leap into the air and land right behind him. Before he can react, I duck down and make a deep horizontal cut with my swords right along his calves. The General screams in agony as dark blood pours out of the cut and he collapses onto his back. I stick Wrath under his chin and say "You're finished" before placing my hand on his head and letting my mind control take over.

Six

When I come to, Sarah is standing above me and shaking me lightly. I let out a groan and sit up slowly. Thankfully the pounding in my head has stopped and the room is no longer spinning on its axis. Although the head pains have ended, the rest of my body has become numb like a foot that's fallen asleep. As I rub my eyes to gather my bearings, I hear Sarah gasp. "What is it?" I exclaim immediately on my guard. Sarah points to my arm with a shaking hand. I look down and see that the various bruises and lacerations I suffered during my interrogation are slowly fading away. I look at my other arm and am pleased to see the same thing is happening. The swelling in my face has disappeared and my forehead is no longer bleeding. I feel a surge of adrenaline coursing through my body and with a quick thrust of my back, I flip onto my feet. Sarah jumps back in surprise at my sudden burst of energy and I give her a reassuring smile. "Come" I say to her. "We have some planning to do."

Seven

After her sound defeat of the General, Five puts her hand on his head and closes her eyes. At first, nothing happens. Then, her eyes open and they glow an unnatural red color. The General begins shaking uncontrollably and lets out a scream. After a few more seconds of this spectacle, Five let's go of him and the General falls to his side without a sound. The gym is silent as we look at Five in awe and a little fear as she makes her way towards us. Nine rushes to her side and asks if she's alright. Five smiles at him and says that she'll live to fight another day. Then, she steps in front of me and holds out her injured arm. I take it and the familiar icy feeling that comes with my healing instantly flows from my hands into her arm.

While I heal her, Five starts issuing orders to her men. "Reese, escort the General and the other prisoners to their cells after we deal with his injury. Hawk, bring in the Ishphenni and the androids you've selected for the mission. Valmont, go with Lestrade and get the plane ready. We have a Garde to rescue." The men scatter to complete their tasks and four clones drag the General in front of me. Five turns to me and asks if I mind healing his wounds. I hesitate, not wanting to heal a Mog but Five quickly persuades me. "I understand your reservations Marina" she says "but we need him alive for the time being. I wouldn't ask you to do this unless it was important." I place my hands on the General's legs and quickly heal the bloody mess created by Five's swords. "What did you do to him?" I hear Eight ask. "I used my mind control to pull information from his brain and put him into a coma so he would be easier to deal with" Five tells him as she cleans her blades with a rag.

Five then asks the clone Slade to come over which he does obediently. Five asks if I would mind one more healing which I happily agree to. When Slade removes the bandage over his face, I have to bite back a gasp of horror. The eye covered by the bandages is a milky white and a long, stitched up cut runs diagonally over his forehead, eye, and left cheek. Shuddering slightly at the thought of the pain he went through, I place my hands on his face and feel the icy feeling flow through my veins. Slade starts breathing rapidly but my Legacy pulls through. The cut close up leaving only a thin scar, the milky color disappears, and after a minute the eye is able to function normally. I sit down slightly exhausted from the healing as Slade thanks me profusely. Five then asks him if there is any reward he wants as repartition for his service in the field. Slade thinks for a moment and says "It would be a reward and an honor if I was able to join the Ishphenni." Five nods and tells him to speak with Hannibal.

Before he leaves, Five puts a hand on his shoulder. "I have two more things to give you" she says using telekinesis to bring the broken sword into her hand. Five then brings the other half that she cut off and begins chanting. Miraculously, the sword mends itself and shrinks a few inches in size. Then, Five places a hand over Slade's left eye and when she removes it, the color has changed from its original dark color to bright green. Five hands him the sword and says "For your valiant efforts and your injury I offer you this sword from our defeated enemy. Your eye is now different so everyone will know who you are and how you have added the Cause. Use your weapon well and I wish you luck in your future missions. May your new training serve you well." With a bow, Slade joins the rest of his brothers and leaves the room carrying out the General with three others.

Nine puts his arm around Five and says "Can we go save Six now?" "Yes" Five replies. "We can leave as soon as the Ishphenni arrive and we get weapons." "Who are the Ishphenni?" John asks. As if on que, sixty men led by Hawk enter the gym along with about twenty androids. Five smiles broadly and says "This is the Ishphenni. The best of the best of our clone army. Only one in a hundred clones is considered eligible for selection and only half of the one percent selected typically make it past training. They're also special in other unique ways." As the Ishphenni line up in front of us Five approaches one of the clones and says "Cato, would you be kind enough to demonstrate your ability for my friends?" Cato steps forward and extends his hand toward one of the androids. To my utter amazement, the droid slowly starts to rise above the ground and toward the ceiling.

**Next chapter is in the works and will be out soon. As always, please make sure to comment and have a great day;)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Greetings everyone. Hope you all liked the last chapter and the twist with the clones. I will be going to Canada for a week and a half and unfortunately will be unable to update. Therefore, I will be posting two chapters today. Please make sure to review both and make suggestions as to how you want things to play out with Six and Sarah. All feedback is appreciated even criticism. **

Chapter 19

Eight

When Cato places the android back on the ground, Five turns to us and grins at our surprised expressions. "Ishphenni is the Loric word for bodyguard and originally that's all I intended for them to be" She tells us as we leave the gym. "However, as I started honing my sorcery I began wonder if it was possible for a Garde to transfer abilities to Cepan. The first experiments had a lot of promise but I was only able to transfer my power for a few minutes at most. Then I started experimenting with blood transfusions and realized that since our Legacies are part of who we are, they flow through our very veins. Although it took two years, the final result stands before you today. Each Ishphenni is endowed with a single Legacy which is either control over one of the elements, telekinesis, flight, super strength, or super speed. " As Five continues to tell us about the Ishphenni and their training Lestrade, Valmont and Gergorovich join us and we head to the armory.

Once inside, Five directs the group to the larger weapons and the troops begin removing weapons from their shelves. I see handguns, shotguns, assault rifles, machine guns, and even a few rocket launchers being loaded into duffel bags or strapped to weapon holsters. Marina grips her bow apprehensively and after watching the amount of firepower being loaded up; she grabs a holster off the wall and places a small handgun inside. "Is all this really necessary?" I finally ask Five. She looks up at me as she loads her own bag with grenades and a few throwing knives. I gesture to the many weapons being packed and say "I know we want to be prepared but this seems like overkill."Nine walks up and stands next to me as he loads four guns and straps them across his chest. "Tell me Eight" he says placing a magazine into one of the guns. "Have you ever been inside a Mog base?" Before I can answer, my attention is diverted to the massive cases of ammunition that the androids are carrying out the door. "I have not."

Nine nods as though he was expecting this answer and says "Well this particular base will be crawling with Mogs, probably hundreds if not thousands of them. There will be a maze of tunnels that we have to contend with and the Mogs will throw everything in their arsenal against us when we rescue Six." I swallow hard trying to imagine facing a thousand Mogs on my own and although I prefer using my sword, I take the handgun Five offers me and attach to my belt. Nine grins and slaps me on the back. "That's the spirit Eight." I follow him as he gathers spare ammunition and ask "So how do you know so much about this place?" He gestures toward Sandor who is busy assembling a light machine gun. "It's the base they took Sandor and me to after they captured us and where Sandor died." Nine looks at Sandor with a forlorn expression as he talks and I immediately feel the pang sorrow that always comes when I think about Reynolds. I wish he was here with us now, still in the fight to save Lorien but I know that he's gone and despite her powers, Five can never bring him back.

Marina sees me wipe a tear from my eye and asks what's wrong. I wipe my eyes quickly, slightly embarrassed at my sudden emotional display and tell her I was thinking about Reynolds. Marina stops what she's doing and comes over embrace me. Nine looks uncomfortable realizing how lucky he is to have gotten Sandor back and as I stroke Marina's hair, he walks away to have a private word with Sandor. _I'm so sorry I can't bring him back Eight_ I hear Five say in my mind. _If I could I would do it in a heartbeat but I do know that he would be proud of you._ I send a mental thanks to Five and she acknowledges me with a nod. "The plane will be out in ten minutes everyone" she calls out to those of us still in the room. "Finish packing whatever equipment you've decided to bring and meet me by the door. We need to leave pronto. Nine twirls his pipe staff in the air and presses a button which reduces it to the length of a baton and follows me out the armory. As we leave, I see Eddard hand Five a large black briefcase before heading back to the house. Although I'm curious as to what's inside, I don't push Five for answers. Instead, I trod along with the others eager to get into the air.

After a quick shuttle ride, we arrive in the hanger and board the plane. The Ishphenni have already made themselves at home and there is an almost lively atmosphere in the plane as they joke and talk amongst themselves. The rest of us however remain grim as we find our seats and try to think optimistic thoughts. Once we're all sitting down, the plane starts to move and in no time we are in the air. I yawn and lean back in my seat as I close my eyes. The jet lag finally catches up with me and I quickly fall asleep with Marina by my side.

Nine

Throughout the flight, John doesn't say a single word. He just looks vacantly out the window and holds Excalibur between his hands. I gently tap Talia whose attempting to sleep on my shoulder and nod towards John. "Is he going to be alright?" She rubs the sleep from her eyes and stares at John for a few minutes. I watch John as well and when Talia finally looks away, John begins to yawn and stretch his arms. "He just needs some rest and reassurance" Talia tells me as she gets out of her seat. "He blames himself for not staying behind with Six and is terrified of what they might be doing to her. I just persuaded him to take a nap so hopefully that will get him to relax a tad." Talia then takes my hand and pulls me out of my seat. "I have a job for you if you really want to help John out." I eagerly follow happy to do anything besides sitting in my seat and waiting for the plane to land. She opens a door which leads into a conference room with eight clones sitting around the table. They stand up when we enter and remain standing as Talia makes introductions. "Nine these will be your team when we storm the base. Their names are Magnus, Bane, Stannis, Balon, Renly, Bronn, Oberyn, and Martell." The clones bow respectfully when Talia introduces them and I feel my excitement rise at the opportunity to command my own troops. "I'm flattered that you trust me to lead your men Talia but why me?" I ask after the introductions are made. Talia tells the clones to have a seat and says "I need someone with prior experience to lead a team to the cell block area. It's the most likely place they've taken Six and I intend to rescue any other prisoners they have there." She pauses momentarily and then leans in very close to me. "I understand if you would prefer someone else handled it" she whispers. I look at the clones and think back to last time I was in West Virginia "No, I'll do it. I think the Mogs deserve some payment for the hospitality they showed me last time" Talia kisses me on the cheek and says "Good. I'll leave you with your team to talk things over. Sandor will also be joining you. "

After Talia leaves the room, I take a seat and look at the clones in front of me. They look back at me and for a while no one says a word. Then, the clone sitting on my right extends his hand to me. "It's an honor to meet another member of the Garde." He says in a low, clipped voice. I shake his hand and hesitantly reply "Thanks...Soldier?" "Bane" he says noticing my awkward pause. I nod my thanks and clap my hands together. "So" I draw out, not entirely sure how to begin. "Do guys mind telling me your names again and your abilities?" Bane stands up first and starts it off. "My name is Bane and I have super strength." The next clone stands and says "I'm Magnus and I control fire." Next is Balon who controls water followed by Stannis who has telekinesis. Renly has super speed, Bronn is also super strong, Oberyn controls electricity and Martell has power over wind. Although they are all clones, each man has a distinctive feature. Bane has a shaved head, Magnus has a small goatee, Balon has a tattoo of an eagle along his left arm, Stannis has a large scar that runs along his right cheek, Renly has hair that has been dyed red, Bronn has a mustache, Oberyn has a tattoo of a snake along his hand, and Martel has a metal hand like Sandor. When Martell sees me staring at his hand he grins and says "It was frostbite. I was working in Russia and got shot in the hand. It's not perfect but it's better than no hand." As I study my team, a sudden thought comes to me. "Is it true you guys have to do whatever I say?" The clones glance at each other worriedly and Bronn cautiously says "Within reason." I rub my hands together, slowly warming to my role as a commander and ask "So does this mean that if I need something like food in the middle of the night one of you will do it?" Stannis crosses his arms and in a cross tone he says "We're soldiers not servants." Despite his tone I see a look of amusement cross his face. "Right. Just confirming the extent of my command power. Boys I think Stannis just volunteered to get snacks to help us come up with a battle plan. The others laugh while Stannis smiles good naturally and picks up a phone sitting on the table. "So Nine" Balon says pulling his seat in. "How did you end up here with us?" "And how did you end up dating our boss?" Oberyn cuts in. I stretch back in my seat and say "It all started in Chicago..."

Four hours later the plane lands in an airport somewhere in Virginia. Once we step off the plane, I see three limousines and five SUVs waiting for us on the tarmac. We then proceed to drive for almost two hours until we reach Talia's safe house. The safe house is actually another massive property that is only slightly smaller than Olympus and when we arrive at the front gate, Talia punches in a nine digit code and says "Welcome to Valhalla." After we pass the threshold, the first thing I notice is the yard looks more like a military camp than the grounds of a luxury home. Fifteen Apache attack helicopters are stationed on the ground and are in the process of being loaded with missiles and ammunition, guards patrol the outside of the house, and in the distance I see a barracks for troops. "What? No tanks Talia?" I comment as we walk to the main house. "Not enough room and the ground here has too many hills. We store the tanks down in Texas" Talia announces without turning around. She leads us to the library where several tables and smartboard have been set up for a briefing session. Bernie Kosar and Nymeria run off to the side as soon as the doors are opened while the rest of us file in slowly and take a seat.

"Alright" Talia says as she turns on the projector. "I'll try to make this as brief as possible considering what's at stake so everyone pay attention." The image that appears on the screen is an aerial photograph of the mountain the Mogs have hollowed out. "We will use three transport copters to move everyone into position at this point here." She uses the edge of Talon to point to a small clearing directly to the south of the base. "The drop off zone is about a mile away from the cave but we should be able to reach it within twelve minutes. Once we enter the base, we will split up into teams in order to improve our chances of finding Six." She taps the board and rough diagram of the mountain is displayed. "Once Six us located, I will give the signal for my men in the Apaches to open fire on the mountain. The Mogs will be thrown into compete confusion and will enable us to escape unhindered. Before you leave, confirm which team you will be in with Lestrade, Valmont, Gergorovich, or Sandor. Once you have your assigned team, feel free to explore the house or get some rest." She looks out the window before adding "We leave after it gets dark. The Mogs won't know what hit them."

As the others gather their team assignments, Sandor waves at me and points to the door. I follow him outside and we walk together throughout the house. "So how's everything going?" he asks nonchalantly as possible. "Not bad" I reply eyeing the slim, curved sword that's hanging from his waist. "When did you get that?" I ask slightly puzzled. He glances down at it and pulls it out so I and look at it closer. "A gift from Five" he tells me. "She told me that it belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte and allowed him to glimpse into the future." I hold the sword up so the light glances off the tip. "Impressive" I say as I hand it back to him. We walk a bit further before I ask him the question that's on the back of my mind since the flight. "Are you okay going back to the base Sandor?" He pauses and looks me on the eyes. "I personally wish John and I destroyed it last time and I still have nightmares about what happened to you." We resume walking and Sandor listens to me silently as I stammer on. "I can't imagine what you feel. So I completely understand if you wanted to stay behind." Sandor stops again but this time he speaks. He places his hands on my shoulders and says "Nine I know how you feel about this. You're worried about me right?" I nod my head slowly. Sandor grins and says "Don't be. I'm alright. What happened last time wasn't you're fault in anyway and this time we're the ones who will be doing the cutting." As if to prove his point, he holds his metal hand up and it transforms into a hollow, cannon shaped gun before my eyes. Sandor's grin widens when he sees my face and he strokes his hand cannon with pride. However his face then turns serious as he looks around to make sure we're alone. "Seriously though, I'll be fine." We reach the outside and are walking along the perimeter when he suddenly asks "Do you remember the night I became your Cepan?" I shake my head in bewilderment confused as to why he's being this up now.

"The night I became your Cepan was the day the Mogadorians destroyed Lorien. Before I took you to the airfield and the ship that saved us, your grandfather spoke to me. He told me that he had the Legacy of foresight and caught glimpses of the future. He said that one day I would die for Lorien and that I would experience great pain but you would be important." Sandor stops for a moment and I feel choked with emotion. "When I did die I did so knowing I made a difference and that you would carry in the fight. Whatever you may think, I will always be ready to sacrifice myself for you and the others. Besides" Sandor says with a grin "When Five brought me back one of the first things she told me about my return was what is dead may never die. The Mogs will have to try a lot harder to take me down a second time. But enough about me how are things between you and Five my young ward?" He asks a knowing glint in his eyes. "Things are uh going good" I stutter. Sandor kicks an idle stone and mutters "I bet you haven't even made it to second base yet." I feel my face turn crimson. "Oh shut up, and that's none of your business." Sandor chuckles at my look of embarrassment and says "Relax. I'm just fooling around. Besides, I think you're doing fine on your own. Although if you did want my advice, I suggest giving her a gift unexpectedly or just drop subtle displays of your affection." We stop at the main gate and gaze at the sun along the horizon. I look down at my watch and see that it's slightly before 7:30. The sun will still be up for another hour or so and we won't leave until it really gets dark. Without another word, we turn around and head back the way we came.

Six

Sarah and I have settled into a sullen silence and glare at each other from our different halves of the cell. While we attempted to plan an escape, Sarah asked me more questions about the other Garde and I accidentally slipped up and revealed my new relationship with John. Sarah practically threw a fit and immediately demanded to know what I was thinking and how I could do that. I shot back by asking Sarah how she could turn John into the police knowing the danger he was in. The argument quickly became a shouting match and by the end I was sorely tempted to use my Legacies against her but I decided to spare Sarah from any permanent damage. So now instead of planning an escape we are stuck in this cell waiting for our eminent confrontation with the Mogs. I flex my hands and examine my arms which were covered in cuts and bruises just a few hours ago. This new Legacy just might be the most useful weapon in my arsenal now that I appear to be nearly impervious to physical harm. I raise my hand towards a bucket the Mogs left for water and am rewarded by the sight of it rising into the air. It appears that the new legacy managed to flush the drugs out of my system as well. I look towards the force field holding us in and am almost looking forward for a Mog to come in. _Soon _I think_. Soon I'll be out of this dump._

Seven

It is nearly midnight when we approach the cave. The darkness covers everything under a thick layer of shadows and it would have been impossible for us to find our way if Five had not provided the others with night vision goggles. The forest is deathly silent as we slowly make our way to the Mog's layer and the only sound comes from the occasionally branch being stepped on. I hold Eight's hand for reassurance and grip it even tighter when the entrance to the base comes into view. "Let's blow this popsicle stand" Five mutters as she pulls out two grenades and removes the pins. At first I fear she has lost her mind since she just stands there with the grenades in her hands. But then, as the explosion from the grenades is released, the fire and energy released is quickly pulled into Five's body and vanishes without a sound. "Energy absorption is one wicked Legacy" Eight whispers to me. We walk purposefully toward the entrance and stop right outside the blue force field that shimmers inconspicuously over the hole.

Five extends her right hand outwards and Valmont hands her a grey gas canister. She then tenses in concentration and the force field vanishes before us. Then, Five removes the pin on the can and throws it into the cave. A noxious looking green smoke pours out of the cave and I back away rapidly. "Relax" Five says without turning around. "The gas you see is a nerve gas that only targets Mogadorian cells. It can't hurt you. Adam, wait outside for ten minutes to let the gas clear. Everyone else… follow me." We step inside the cave and as we enter, I notice six small piles of ashes by the entrance. We come to a large opening at the mouth of the cave that allows us to view the enormous cavern that makes up the Mogadorain complex. The clones and androids begin fanning out in front of us with their silenced weapons drawn. Five steps to the front and says "This is where we split up. Make sure to stay with your teams and as soon as Six is found, contact me with your earpiece. All the lights and security systems in the cave are now deactivated and will stay that way until we move out. Kill any Mogs you see and remember you are now members of the Society of Shadows. We are the darkness that strikes fear in the hearts of our enemies. This night belongs to us, and the night is dark and full of terror." "For the night is dark and full of terror" we repeat quietly before separating into groups and disappearing into the tunnels.

**Will the Garde rescue Six? Read on to find out. **


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Six  
The lights in our cell and the base suddenly shut off and the world is plunged into darkness. "What's going on?" Sarah asks fearfully forgetting our earlier argument. I cross my legs on the floor and feel a smile form. "They're here" I reply. "Whose here?" Sarah demands in a hysterical tone. "The Society of Shadows." I hear Sarah stand up and walk up next to me. "What do we do?" I don't respond right away and prepare myself for the approaching fight. "We wait until they find us." No sooner are the words out of my mouth, the force field holding us inside disappears.

John  
Using Excalibur, I cut a trail of fiery death through the Mogs we come across. Adam and Sam stand behind me warily with our clones and occasionally fire a shot at any Mogs that I don't kill right away. Thanks to Five, the Mogs are completely helpless to our attack and stumble around in the darkness unable to see. So this is what Nine feels like when he fights I think to myself as I turn another Mog to ash. "How much further?" I ask Adam. He consults the map Five gave and replies "We need to pass three more tunnels and then we'll come to a fork where we will go right. The interrogation room will be the second door on the left." I pull ahead eager to get this over with but stop at the fork in order to let the others to catch up. We slowly approach the door and I use my telekinesis to silently open it. The first thing I see in the room is a large desk with Six's sword resting on the top which only causes my anxiety to increase. When I venture further in, I'm dismayed to discover that one of the chains dangling from the ceiling is slick with fresh blood and the walls are well stocked with torture devices. My anxiety quickly gives way to panic and I feel numb as I pick up the sword. _What have they done to you Six?  
_  
Six  
I blink at the sudden miracle of possible freedom and jump to my feet. The loss of power has made it impossible to see but I feel Sarah move forward with our hands outstretched to check whether the field is really gone. I squint against the utter blackness that engulfs us and fix the issue by creating a small fire in my hand. The fire allows me to see ahead and Sarah stares at the fire in amazement. "It's a new part of my element control" I explain to her. We step out of our cell unsure where to go when I hear commotion coming from further down the cell block.

Nine  
I head to the cell block with Sandor and my clone team in tow. I come across two soldiers along the way and impale one through he chest with my pipe staff and cut the other down with Clarent. While the first Mog disintegrates into ash, the other lets out a strangled cry before turning into a solid statue of ice. I hit the Mogsicle with the flat of my balde and it shatters into a thousand tiny pieces. When we reach the cells, I see five large Mogs guarding entrance so I spring into action. The clones do most of the work though and shoot four of the Mogs before they are even within swinging distance. I decapitate the last one with Clarent and cautiously open the door. I feel myself shudder as we enter the cell block but it quickly passes when we take out the sentries. Sandor uses his hand blaster to vaporize three, I shoot two, and my team kills the remaining ten. Once the sentries are dealt with, we spread out and start busting cells open. Bane, Bronn and I just rip the doors off their hinges but the others must use telekinesis, fire, or explosives to open the cells.  
"Anything?" I call out to Magnus from across the room. "Nothing" he calls back. I give an exasperated breath and am about to move onto the next cell when Balon suddenly says "I've found someone." I rush over and see Balon and Stannis standing over a thin, worn out looking man with blond hair who appears to be in his twenties. He looks around frightened at our unexpected arrival and inability to see us. "Who are you, what's going on?" He asks fearfully. I move closer and say "We're friends. And we are here to free all the prisoners. "What's your name?" He squints in my general direction and says "Rob Hart." I nod my head and ask "Ok Rob is there anyone else here?" Rob points to some cells further away and says "The rest of my family is here." I signal my team to move to the other cells and help Rob to his feet. "Don't worry, we'll get them out. How many people are in your family?"  
"It's my parents, my brother Mike, and my two sisters Liz and Sarah." I freeze and feel a cold shudder run down my spine. I look at Sandor who has an unreliable expression before I hesitantly ask "Your sister is Sarah Hart?" "Yeah" he says incredulously "Is that a problem?" Before I get a chance to respond, Martell calls out "I have movement on the other side of the cell block." I grip my pipe staff anticipating trouble but everything changes when Oberyn says "Hold your fire. It's Six and an unknown female." I stow my staff and run in the direction Six is coming from. Thanks to my super speed, I'm in front of Six in an instant but stop dead in my tracks when I see the second girl. Looking slightly less glamorous than the last time I saw her, is none other than Sarah Hart.

Five  
"Talia" I hear Nine call through my ear piece. I tap it once to start talking and say "What's up Nine?" "I found Six" he replies. I grin broadly and exclaim "That's great, what about other prisoners in the cell block?" "There was only one family being held by the Mogs here. Other than that there's no one else." "Interesting" I muse. "One more thing" he says. "In addition to Six, Sarah Hart was also being held here." I jerk up hardly believing my ears causing Valmont to look over at me questioningly. I wave my hand to indicate everything is alright and whisper "What do you me Sarah Hart is here? She died weeks ago when I rescued John from Walker." "It turns out the Sarah you saw die might have been a clone" Nine informs me. "According to Six, the Mogs have been giving their cloning technology to the US government and the Feds have been testing it out. Apparently the Walker she killed was also a clone." I feel my face contort into a scowl not pleased by this new development and mull over what to do. "Are you still there?" Nine asks after a few minutes of silence. "Yeah I'm still here; start making your way to the exit. I'll let the other know it's time to head out." I turn to Nymeria and Bernie Kosar and tell them to head to the helicopters. "The pilots will know what to do" I tell them. _Yes Talia _Nymeria says as she turns into a falcon. _Keep an eye on John for me_ Bernie Kosar says before turning into an owl. I watch them leave before turning back to my team. "Is the Semtex in place?" I ask Lestrade. "We need to put in one more charge" he says over his shoulder. While he handles the final charge I contact the rest of the Garde and their teams telepathically. _We have Six. Everyone start moving out._  
Once the final charge is put into place, we pack our remaining gear up and head for the exit. Along the way, Gergorovich hands me the detonator and gingerly place it into my left hand. Nearly fifteen minutes pass before we reach the rendezvous point at the large entrance into the center of the cave. Eight, Marina, Ella and Nine are already waiting for along with their clone teams, Six, Sarah, and her family. I give Six a big hug and urgently ask if she's ok. "I'm doing fine" she whispers back. "I got a new Legacy while I was locked up. "Where's John?" "He's on his way" I reassure her. We don't have wait that long before John comes rushing toward us with Six's sword in his hand and Sam and Adam in close pursuit. He practically throws himself into her arms refuses to let go. I grin in spite of the serious setting and John quickly tries to compose himself once he releases the rest of us are watching. "Ah... I think this belongs to you" he says handing the sword to Six. She takes it gently from his hands and the air soon becomes heavy with the scent of ozone. Sarah clears her throat loudly and the others quickly part to let her through. John's face drains of color and he backs away as though Sarah might bite him. "John it's me" Sarah says tearfully. "The real me" John opens his mouth to speak but never gets a chance. The lights suddenly return unexpectedly and the cave is lit up brighter than a Christmas tree. Hundreds of Mogs begin pouring out of the tunnels armed with a wide variety of weapons. And leading the charge of Mogs is Setrakus Ra. "Leaving so soon?" he asks grinning through his black, rotting teeth.

**Just when you thought they were safe. Who will John choose? Will they all make it out alive? Please remember to review and or follow my story. **


	21. Chapter 21

**Thank you all for the amazing reviews that you've all been writing. I love them all and always look forward to reading them. As promised, this chapter will have a battle and plenty of action. Enjoy! **

Chapter 21

Nine  
Talia is the first to react. She quickly draws Talon and Wrath from their scabbards and rushes forward. The clones open fire on the Mogs while Sarah and her family run for the exit and safety. The rest of us draw our weapons and join the fray. Adam and Sam use their shields to block blaster fire and bullets that the Mogs fire at them. A few of the bullets even ricochet off the shields and hit the Mogs that fired the shot. Eight and the clones that can control wind are summoning miniature tornados and gust of wind to keep the Mogs back, while Six blasts them with lightning, and Marina brings down a Mog with ever arrow she fires. With Clarent in my left hand and the pipe staff in my right, I move like the tornados Eight and the clones who can control wind are creating through the Mogs. I stab, slash, and impale in quick succession hardly stopping to breathe, when I see him.

He's dressed in a fancy uniform and holding a sword instead of a knife this time but I instantly recognize his smug face and cruel eyes as he attempts to stab Bane from behind. "YOU!" I yell smacking aside three Mogs. He sees me coming towards him and as recognition crosses his face he attempts to run away. I hold him in place with telekinesis and use Clarent to stab another Mog through the chest. I stow my weapons before grabbing him in midair and running to the nearest wall. My anti gravity kicks in and soon we hang directly above the battle. "Remember me?" I snarl shaking him roughly. He looks down fearfully at the fight raging on below and nods his head quickly. "Do you remember what you did to my Cepan and me?" "It's what I do best" he replies whiteout an ounce of remorse. I see red and am about to break his neck when one of the Mogs below tries to shoot me. The shot barely misses me but before he can shoot again, Talia vaporizes him with an energy blast.  
I turn my attention back to the Mog and grip his shoulders. "This is for Maddy and Sandor" I hiss promptly before using my super strength to rip him in half. His screams are so loud half the Mogs stop what they're doing and look up to see what's going on. Even Setrakus Ra looks up from watching the battle. A few of the Mogs become sick and flee while the smarter ones start shooting at me. I run along the ceiling avoiding the shots when a deafening explosion shakes the mountain. I quickly jump down to the ground and pull out Clarent. Large pieces of the ceiling begin raining down on us and several Mogs are crushed beneath the avalanche. While the clones, androids, and other Garde make their escape, Talia is busy holding off four Mogs so she doesn't see the large boulder hurtling towards her. I sprint towards her ignoring the Mogs that continue to shoot at me in a desperate attempt to save her.

I'm still over ten feet away from her when I hear a pop and suddenly I'm right in front of her. I plow into her and push her out of the way just as the boulder comes crashing down and takes out the Mogs. I slowly get off of Talia and help her up as she stares at the boulder that almost crushed her. "Thanks" she says examining her swords for damage. "What are boyfriends for?" I reply with a grin. Talia them looks away from me and runs toward Setrakus Ra.

Seven of the androids we left behind to cover our retreat have engaged Ra in a fight and are losing badly. He uses his cane to smash one in half, his fire whip causes another to spontaneously combust, and he throws two against the wall. However, all of this is a distraction that Talia uses to get behind him and stab him through the back. Setrakus screams as though he's been electrocuted and swats at Talia as she flies into the air, snatches the three Loralite pendants from his neck, and delivers a roundhouse kick to his face. Setrakus Ra steps back slightly dazed and Talia flies back next to me. "Those belong to me bitch!" Setrakus Ra roars. "No one steals from Setrakus Ra!" Talia knocks him back with an energy blast and yells "Time to go!" Bane, Valmont, and Renly bring up our rear as we race off to the exit with Ra screaming obscenities in pursuit.

Five  
I pull out the detonator and push the trigger. The opening behind us disappears in a cloud of fire and rock as the other charges go off and seal off the other tunnels. Bane looks at my handiwork and dryly remarks "Ah the fire rises." Nine is running beside me and huffs "A fine time you picked to get new jewelry." I roll my eyes at this and calmly say "It's not for me. I need the necklaces for Project Astral." "Which you still refuse to tell me about" he counters as we approach our transport helicopter. Bane opens the door for us and we rejoin the others in the cargo bay. As our helicopter rises into the sky, I look into the distance and see the Apaches are continuing their relentless air assault on the mountain with Stinger and Hellfire missiles

"How would you like a demonstration?" I ask him just as we pull above the trees. "What kind of demonstration?" Nine asks with raised eyebrows. I wink at him and walk toward the cockpit. "Call of the attack and keep us above the trees" I tell Gergorovich who is seated in the copilot seat. He nods and sends the command to the other helicopters. I go back to the cargo bay and take the bag that Eddard gave me before we left. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?" I ask using my tech control to speak through everyone's headphones. "Could you kindly divert your eyes to the right side windows?"

Nine  
I look out the window and see the helicopters attacking the base have all disappeared. When I turn to Talia for an explanation, she is busy typing something into a laptop. _Keep your eyes on the window_ she says telepathically. I turn back to the window and wait. The others are looking at each other nervously not sure what to expect when I see it. A bright beam of light descends from the sky and strikes the top of the mountain releasing a massive explosion. The explosion is so intense, trees are knocked over and our helicopter wobbles momentarily. When the light vanishes, there is nothing left except a few million of tons of dirt and gravel that was once the mountain. The Mogadorian base that caused us so much pain and misery has simply ceased to exist.

Marina, John, Eight, Six, Sam, Adam and Ella look out the window with expression of shock, amazement, horror, and disbelief. I look at Talia who seems to be pleased with the results of utter devastation. _What have you done?_ I ask Talia telepathically. _I gave the Mogs a taste of their own medicine _she replies cryptically. _So that's Project Astral? I inquire. Destroying things using whatever that thing was?_ She grins at me and says _Babe, you haven't seen half what this is all about._

The rest of the ride back home passes in silence. The extent of Talia's abilities continues to have a profound effect on the others. When arrive back at the house, the other transport helicopter opens immediately after we land and Sarah rushes out followed by her family. She runs toward John with her arms outstretched but stops in her tracks when he doesn't open his arms in return. "Aren't you happy to see me John?" she asks with a hurt tone in her voice. John takes her hands and replies "I am happy. It's just..." Before he finishes, Sarah's parents march up and pull her away.

"What have you dragged our family into Smith? Or whatever the hell your real name is." Mr. Hart demands. "Ever since you came into our daughter's life our world has turned upside-down. We've ostracized by our neighbors, been accused of aiding terrorists, kidnapped, and interrogated by the FBI. What the fuck is going on?" John looks very uncomfortable and completely unsure where to begin when Mrs. Hart chimes in and says "We need answers John. Now." I see Talia's eyes glow in the dark momentarily before she moves directly in front of the Harts. "Sleep" she says in a commanding voice.

Mr. Hart opens his mouth probably to object but his eyes roll back in his head and he falls on the ground snoring loudly. Mrs. Hart follows suit as do the rest of the Hart children and Sarah. "Shit" says Sam as John rushes over to check on the Harts. "Please tell me you knocked them out and didn't just put them into a coma" John says highly concerned.  
Five flashes John one of her killer smiles and calmly replies "Relax. They're just asleep and they will wake up. I just thought it would be easier to deal with this in the morning rather than having two hysterical humans demanding that you explain everything in the middle of the night." John looks down sadly at Sarah and I notice Six grimace slightly before turning away.

Talia then gestures to the Harts and says "Azazel, Riptide do guys mind giving me a hand here?" Each clone picks up one of the Harts and starts walking back to the house. Lestrade picks up Sarah, and Talia uses telekinesis to pick up the remaining Harts and bring them to the house. She turns before entering and says "I think we could all use some rest. Take any bedroom you want and help yourselves to anything in the kitchen if you're hungry. I'll be in my office if anyone needs me. Eight may I have a word in private?"

Eight detaches himself from Marina and walks beside Talia as they talk in hushed voices. Marina eyes this warily before following them inside. Six tries to take John's hand but he shrugs her off and angrily enters the house. I head to the kitchen where I find Marina eating a pear. I wave before heading to the fridge and helping myself to a beer. I join her at the table and for awhile we just sit quietly without speaking. When I see Talia and Eight walk by I gesture toward them with my head. "You think there's something going on between those two?"  
Marina stares at me like I have an extra head before realizing that I'm just joking and let's out a small laugh. "Don't be ridiculous. I trust Eight and Five, whatever it is they don't want us to hear. Why?" She probes grinning slightly. "Do you not trust Five?" I laugh and reply "I trust her with my life." We lapse back into silence and I take a swig of my bottle before asking "What was growing up in a convent like?" Marina stops eating her pear and looks at me thoughtfully. "Well for starters there were never any handsome boys around." I chuckle and reply "How did you ever manage?"

She ignores my dig and continues. "We had a curfew, there were always chores to do, the Sisters beat you if you forgot the rules, and we certainly never found ourselves in the company of international criminals and went on adventures with them." She sits back before adding "I grew up to accept the routine but as time went on I started to hate Santa Teresa. I never had any real friends before Ella and Hector, Adelina gave up on Lorien, and the place became a prison for me. But there was never any danger or risk of dying which I took for granted. That was the one good thing about the place. What was Chicago like?" I put my beer on the table and fold my hands behind my head. "When Sandor and I first came to Chicago, we had only lived in motels and hotels constantly on the move. Then he heard about this place called the John Hancock Center...

Five  
I pull five glasses from the cabinet and pour an inch of cognac into each one. I pass one to Gregorovich, one to Valmont, one to Lestrade, two glasses for Bronn and Tyrion two of my best bodyguards before pouring myself a glass. "Na zdorovje" Gregorovich shouts raising his glass in the air. "Na zdorovje" we all reply clinking our glasses together. Gregorovich drains his glass in one gulp and reaches for the whiskey. I slap his hand away and reprimand him in Russian. "Good God man. That's fifty year old Macallan whiskey. You can't just go around pouring it into brandy glasses and gulping down like ten dollar vodka." Gregorovich reluctantly puts moves his hand away but being generous, I take out a smaller glass and pour him some.

He nods his thanks and sips it slowly. While we nurse our drinks, I examine the pendants I took from Ra and smile contentedly. I look up at Gregorovich and ask "Did Yassen agree to meet with us?" He nods before pouring some more cognac. "He is ready to receive you in St. Petersberg when you are ready to go. The library is guarded but we can handle it." Before I can make any further plans, there is a knock at the door. I open it with telekinesis and Six strolls into the room.  
I stand up and walk over to her. "Evening Six. What can I do for you?" Six wipes her eyes with the back of her hand probably hoping I won't notice her tears and mutters "Can I have a drink?" Gregorovich pulls up another chair and hands Six a glass. "What would you like? I have gin, vodka, brandy, Remy Martin, Macallan, rum, and Johnnie Walker." Six grimaces at the last choice and harshly says "Anything but that one. I'm not going to drink anything that has the word Walker or John in it. Give me the strongest one."

Gregorovich pours Six a small portion of vodka and hands her the glass. "So" I begin as Six knocks back the whole drink in one gulp. "What's troubling you Six? Stress? Training? Lover's tiff?" She puts the glass down and Gregorovich refills it. "It's John" she sighs swirling her drink in the glass. "He told me we can't be together until he works things out with Sarah and I doubt she has any intention of letting us be together." I nod slowly and fold my hands together. "I could always...persuade Sarah to forget about John." Six puts the drink down intrigued. "What do you have in mind?" I take a deep breath and in my best Marlon Brando impression I say "I'll make her an offer she can't refuse." Six gives a small smile and says "Aren't you supposed to be holding a cat while you say that?"

I whistle to Nymeria who has been resting in the corner this whole time, and she morphs into a white Persian before settling on my lap. "I'll make her an offer she can't refuse" I repeat in a more serious tone. "And how do you intend to make this offer?" Six inquires. I pretend to think about and reply "I could always use my mind control, we could pay her an absurd amount of money to forget about us, or there's always the desert option." Now Six's face takes on a look of concern. "What is the desert option?" I gesture out the window and say, "There is a lot of sand in deserts. I don't think Sarah would like to find herself under it." Six looks horrified and says "You would do all that for me?" I sip my drink and say "You've never had a friend like me."  
Six hesitantly takes a small sip of vodka and says "I don't think I could do that to John. It should be his decision who he wants to be with. Besides, some of those options seem..." She struggles to find the right word "Inhumane." I shrug nonchalantly and counter with "We're not human. But you must love him a great deal to be willing to put your faith in him like that." Six smiles and says "I've liked him since were kids. Our parents were best friends."

I drain my glass and ask "Is there anything else I can help you with?" Six's eyes have lost some of their focus and she slurs her words slightly as she mumbles "My chest. It's locked up in...the Pentagon. Was wondering if you could get it back for me." "I'll put my A-Team on it Six" I say with a nod towards Tyrion. Suddenly an idea comes to my mind and makes me grin. "What is it?" Six asks. "There is one option I didn't think of." Six gestures for me to go on and I carefully say "Boys never seem to know what they have until it's gone so you could always make him jealous." A slow grin spreads across her face and she says "Now that's just diabolical." We all clink glasses and I pour another round.

Two hours later...  
"So how long is it?" Six giggles. I put down my glass and raise my eyebrows. "How long is what?" She motions me forward like she wants to tell me a secret and loudly whispers "Nine's junk!" I sit back in amusement as Six gives me a pouting face. "Oh common girl, you must have some idea how big it is and it must be large the way he carries himself like he's the greatest thing ever to happen for Loric girls." She bursts out in a fit of giggles while Gregorovich laughs, Valmont rubs his face, Bronn and Tyrion smile, and Lestrade grins like a wolf.

I glare at them and telepathically say _Not one word of this leaves this room. Do you hear me? If it does, I will have you all living under the impression that you're seven year old girls_. I give Six an innocent smile and gently pry her hand off the glass she's holding. "I think you've had enough to drink for tonight." "Oh you're no fun" Six complains releasing the glass. I help her stand up and Lestrade opens the door for us. I slowly walk out with Six holding on to me like a drowning sailor and make my way up the stairs. Nymeria in tow, we climb step by step pausing occasionally so Six can rest. After awhile it becomes too cumbersome so I just pick her up and carry her up the stairs. When I find an empty room, I carefully lay Six on the bed and prop up the pillows. "Goodnight Six" I whisper softly adding a dose of compulsion into my voice. "Nighty night Talia... you never...said...how...long" She's out before I reach the door. I sigh and walk to my room. "It's long enough Six. Long enough." I mutter under my breath.

**So some plotting from Five/Six and a little hint of what's to come. Hoped the battle lived up to your expectations. Don't forget to review :D**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you to everyone who has been leaving these amazing reviews! They get better every time I read them. A special thanks goes to Useristaken. From now on, the weapon will be referred to as The Sky Laser. PS, three special individuals are making an appearance this chapter ;D. Who could they be? Read on to find out.**

Chapter 22

Seven  
It's been three days since our return from West Virginia and we are back at Olympus. Our training has resumed its normal routine although Five is now actively incorporating sorcery into our daily secessions. According to her, at least five of the original Elders were masters of Loric sorcery which is what enabled them to create the many objects locked within our chests. However, none of us have displayed any telltale signs that we can perform the "mystic arts" as Five calls it. In addition to the new sorcery training, something else has changed; for some reason I don't understand, the others appear to be avoiding me.

When I walk down the hall for breakfast, they walk behind me. When we are training, they fall quiet whenever I walk by. Even Eight has been distant lately. To make matters worse, Six and John have settled into a frosty silence and are hardly speaking with each other. If matters weren't stressful enough, when Mr. Hart woke up, he tried to pummel John and Five was forced to knock him out with mind control causing Mrs. Hart to call Five a demonic witch. Five didn't take too kindly to that and knocked Mrs. Hart unconscious the hard way. Luckily Sarah was not awake to see Five giving her mother a right hook but John hasn't spoken to her since.

Five then decided it was best to move the Harts to a different wing of the house and slowly explain everything using sorcery to show their unconscious minds our struggle and who we are. Sarah of course has been exempt from this since she already knows who we are. However, Ella, Eight, Nine, and I had to reintroduce ourselves since the Sarah we knew was a clone imposter. Now she spends nearly all her free time with John trying to rekindle their relationship.

I sigh sadly as I comb my hair reflecting on all the negative developments over the last few days. Why can't things ever be simple for a change? I think to myself as I set the brush down. Once I determine everything is in order, I walk out, shut my door, and head over to Eight's room so we can walk down to breakfast together. When I knock on his door however there is no response. I step into his room and find a note sitting on the desk. _Morning Marina_ the note begins. _Sorry I went downstairs early today. I wanted to learn how to make those waffles you like. To make it up to you, I will have a plate of them waiting for you when you come down. Love 8. _Since when does he have an interest in cooking? I ask myself folding the note in half. I walk over to Ella's room to go down with her but her room is empty as well. I quickly check the others' rooms but find them empty as well. Feeling disappointed that no one waited for me, I dejectedly make my way to the dining room. However when I reach the dining room, I find it empty. I shake my head and pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming but the room remains vacant.

I walk around the table which is set with cutlery and briefly look under the table to see if anyone is hiding. "Hello?" I call out hesitantly. Silence is my only response. Suddenly I hear a noise in coming from the kitchen. I pause and strain my ears but don't hear another sound. That's another odd thing I noticed, usually the kitchen is bursting with activity but like the dining room it us strangely devoid of life and light. I walk slowly towards the kitchen and grab a knife from the table just in case. I gently ease the door open with the knife at the ready and cautiously enter the dark kitchen.

"Surprise!" Everyone shouts as the lights are switched on and a huge banner unfolds with the words Happy 18th Birthday Marina on it. I nearly jump out of my skin and stare open mouthed at everyone grinning at my reaction. "Who...What...How did you know it was my birthday?" I finally sputter out lowering the knife. Nine strolls to the front and says "Hello, we have a mind reader in the house" gesturing towards Five. She joins him at the front and grins wryly. "Do you like it?" I look around the kitchen stunned at the effort that went into it and turn to my friends. No, I correct myself my family.

"I love it" my voice finally remembering how to work. Everyone lets out a cheer and I see Eight and Nine high five. Five walks over to me and embraces me warmly as the others begin heading to the dining room. "You can thank those two geniuses" she says pointing to Nine and Eight. I look at her skeptically and she adds "I figured out when your birthday was and told Eight. He wanted to do something special for you and Nine suggested a surprise party." I look at my two party planners who wave at me in response.

I excuse myself and make my way to Eight. Then, I practically throw myself into his arms and kiss him intensely. When we pull apart, I look into his eyes and whisper "You are the best boyfriend in the world" slightly out of breath. He grins and kisses me again. "You're welcome" he says cupping my face. I then walk over to Nine and plant a more modest kiss on his cheek. "Thank you Nine. This is the best birthday I could have ever imagined." "Don't mention it Sweetheart" he replies being his typical self. I slip my arm through Eight's and hold him close as the four of us leave the kitchen and find our places at the table. I sit at the head of the table with Eight on my right and Five on my left. Five gives me a conspiratorial wink as the food comes out and whispers "The best part has yet to come."

After, a heavy breakfast of waffles, crepes, French toast stuffed with different jams, breakfast pastries, and fruit, I push my plate away afraid that I'll burst if I eat another bite. Once the plates are cleared, Five asks me if I'm ready for gifts. I eagerly nod my head and the gifts are brought forward. Nine goes first and gives me a pair of beautiful hunting daggers that have two silver snakes wrapped around the hilts. "To go with your bow" he says with a smile handing me the belt for holding the daggers. Five then informs me that the blades are made of Celestial Steel and Nine designed them himself. Sarah gives me perfume and Six procures a stunning gold and ruby bracelet that is inscribed with Loric symbols. "A good luck charm to keep you safe from harm" Six tells me when she puts the bracelet on. John goes next and almost shyly places a set of colored pencils and four books about great artists. He blushes and says "I know it's not much but Eight told me how much you love art." I embrace him and tell him that I love his gift and can't wait to start using it. However it is Ella's gift that moves me to tears. She comes up to me with a big smile and puts what appears to be a blank piece of paper in front of me. Turn it over she mouths when she sees my confused expression.  
When I turn it over, I almost forget to breathe. On the other side of the paper is a beautiful black and white drawing of Adelina, that's so lifelike, it could be a photograph. I'm so moved that I feel a few tears form and need a few minutes to compose myself. "Oh it's perfect Ella" I say causing her to beam with pride. Crayton gives me several sketch pads to go with the colored pencils, Sandor gives me a watercolor portrait by Monet, and Malcolm gives me a wood replica of the Loric ship that brought us to Earth. Hannibal brings a white stallion named Drogo into the dining room which he tells me now belongs to me.

Lestrade, Valmont, Gregorovich, Hawk, and Reese each give me a different piece of jewelry and even the clones give me a gift. The green eyed clone Slade presents me with a jade pendant carved into the shape of an eye and asks that I accept it as a reminder of my gift as a healer. I gratefully place it around my neck and when Slade steps back, Eight comes forward with his gift. He kneels in front me and hands me a framed drawing. The drawing is in black and white and shows three girls and a man standing on a plateau with a falling waterfall in the background. "It's the first time we met" Eight explains and when I examine the faces, I can clearly identify Six, Ella, Crayton, and myself.

Like Ella's it is very realistic and the light is captured perfectly. "My nose is not that big" I tease Eight making everyone else laugh. He pretends to be offended and says "Ugh. Everyone's a critic." I laugh and plant a kiss on his lips. "It's amazing" he smiles and sits back as Five comes forward. "Marina" Five begins "My gift for you will require love and affection but will serve as a loyal protector and companion for you. Do you accept my gift?" I nod vigorously hardly able to contemplate what it might be. Five gives a low whistle and the clones by the door open it and allow a large snow leopard to enter the room. The leopard stands by Five's side and rubs its body affectionately against Five's leg. I come forward to scratch my leopard behind the ears but before I reach her, the leopard changes into a grey wolf. "This is Faora" Five says as Faora licks the palm of my hands. "Nymeria's sister."

Everyone cowards around me to get a better look at Faora or pet her. "Where did you find her?" Eight asks incredulously. "She came to Earth on the same ship that brought Ella, Crayton, Eddard, and Cornelius here" Five responds. "After I found Eddard and Cornelius they arranged to have all their Chimera brought here. In fact now that I've mentioned it, there is something I've wanted to give to all of you for awhile now." Five lets out another whistle and an entire menagerie of birds, penguins, wolves, and a crocodile parade into the room. A raven settles on Eight's shoulder, while a penguin waddles over to Ella, one of the wolves goes over to Sam while the other places itself in front of Adam. The crocodile scampers over to Nine before turning into a snake and a hawk settles on Six's arm.

"Is this all the Chimera we have?" Nine asks as his snake begins to wrap itself around his arm. "The Chimera before you are the survivors of the original group but we have successful breed more" Five informs us scratching Nymeria behind the ears. "Do they have names?" John asks picking up Bernie Kosar in beagle form. "Yes I almost forgot to tell you" Five says. "Each of the original Chimera is named after a Loric hero from history." Five then calls the Chimera forward to tell us their names. Nine's is named Zod and is Faora's mate. Ella's penguin is named Cersei. Sam's is named Varys. Adam's is named Rhaegar. Eight's is named Balerion and Six's is named Arya.

"I take it you'll all want to get aquatinted with your Chimera" Five says with a smile. "Therefore, training will be suspended for the day while you get to know each other better. And happy birthday again Marina. The celebration has just begun. Feel free to go back to your rooms or roam around the grounds. Dinner will be served at eight." Five gives me one last hug before leaving flanked by Hannibal and our combat instructors. I look down at Faora who has morphed into something that has the lower body of a beaver and the upper body of a squirrel. _Outside_ I hear an unfamiliar voice say. "Who said that?" I practically shout. Everyone turns their head towards me in confusion and I feel my cheeks heat up. "I'm not crazy. I heard someone say the word outside."

_I said that master_ the voice says again. I look down and see Faora looking at me expectandly. _My apologies master. I didn't mean to frighten you._ "You can talk?" I whisper bending down to be closer to her. _I have always been able to talk_ Faora says almost indignantly. _However you seem to have only recently acquired the ability to understand me._ I sit back in shock and see Eight approaching me cautiously. "Is everything alright Marina?" he asks in a concerned tone. I look up and say "It appears as though I have a new Legacy."

An hour latter I am riding Drogo alongside Ella who rides her Chimera, Eight who flys above me in the form of a falcon and Faora who is now a gazelle. While I am elated to have a new Legacy I also feel strangely disappointed. _Is something troubling you Marina?_ Faora asks turning into a hawk so she can perch on my arm. I sigh and say "It just seems that none of my Legacies are meant for fighting. There's a war coming and all I can do is see in the dark, breath under water, heal injuries, and talk to animals. None of which will be helpful in a fight. _Do not despair my young Garde. I'm sure the Legacies you desire will be yours in time._ Although still anxious about my future Legacies, Faora's words reassure me of what the future may hold. With a smile I urge Drogo to go faster and catch up to Eight and Ella.

Four  
"Are you sure about this?" Nine asks me as we ascend the stairs. "Yes" I sigh answering him for the sixth time. "If anyone other than Talia asks me about this I will deny any involvement" he says when we reach the room. I nod warily and tell him to take a walk. Before we part ways, he grabs my arm and says "Seriously though, I hope you two are able to work it out." I watch him head down the hall and take a deep breath before entering the library. When I step into the room, I find it empty except for the few thousand books that line the shelves. I briefly scan the room one more time before taking a seat in one of the large armchairs by the window. I'm waiting for barely a minute when Six materializes in the chair next to me. "Hello John" she says softly looking at me like we haven't seen each other in a week. "Six" I reply trying not the admire the way the light brings out the color in her eyes or the black tank top she's wearing right now.  
"So" she says looking out the window. "We need to talk." "Yes" I reply automatically. "I know you said you needed time to work things out Sarah but this waiting is killing me." I nod unsure how to respond when Six unexpectedly takes my hand. "Do you have any feelings for me John? I need to know whether there can be anything between us. I will wait for you if you ask me to but I can't stand this silence, this uncertainty of how things will be between us. I wish you... " Being this close to Six after days of uncomfortable silence is finally too much to handle and I caress the side of her face gently before moving my face closer to her's and interrupt her with a kiss. Her lips part easily against mine and I pull her into my lap as the kiss picks up speed.  
As I run my hand over the length of her back, Six suddenly pulls away with a sharp intake of breath. "Would say something to me" she finishes grinning widely.

"Does that qualify?" I ask brushing a loose strand of hair out of her eyes. "It's a start" she says getting up from the seat and turning to gaze out the window. I get up to stand by her side and take her hand. "I do care about you Six and I'm sorry for doing this to you. It's just... I don't know the right way to fix things with Sarah without looking like a jerk." Six looks away from the window and looks at me tenderly as she wraps her arms around my waist. "Do you love her?" she asks softly. I hesitate momentarily but reply "I loved her with all my heart before I met you. But I feel what Sarah and I had together before is impossible to salvage. She turned Sam and I into the police, she's always asking what will happen between us once the war is over, and her parents are terrified of us now they know who we are. I care about her too but it's not the same anymore."

Six wraps my hands in her's and looks down. "Whatever you decide, I will respect your decision." I tilt her chin up so I can gaze into her eyes and kiss her forehead. "See you at dinner?" I ponder. "Count on it" she says before breaking away leaving me alone in the library.  
I gaze out the window as I contemplate my situation and what to do. _Don't count on Sarah being your partner_ I hear Henri's voice echo in my subconscious. _The love you could share with a Loric girl can never compare what you experience with a human girl._ While memories of Henri fail to provide me with a solution, I hear the doors to the library open with a creek. I whip around and am shocked to see Sandor strolling into the library with a stack of books under his arms.

He pauses when he sees me before giving me a wave and setting the books down on a nearby desk. "How are you Four?" Sandor asks politely. "I'm fine Sandor. Just trying to figure out a problem." "I see he" says looking around at the many shelves that surround us. "A library is always a good place to look for answers to problems. Although I don't think girl problems count."

That jars me out of my concentration and feel myself blush. "How did you know?" I grumble looking at the floor. Sandor puts a reassuring arm around my shoulder and I'm completely surprised when he says "Because I had the same look on my face when I was your age and had girl problems. That and it was the same look Nine had when he had his first girlfriend." I laugh briefly and try to wonder what sort of girl problems Sandor and Nine could have possibly had. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asks me calmly. I throw my hands in the air frustrated at my inability to find a solution and say "Sure I could use some help." "Let's head to the gym. I'm meeting Nine there and I've found hitting things always helps clear my mind." As we leave Sandor asks at the issue with my girl is. "Actually its two girls" I begin unsure where to start. "Two girls!?" Sandor echoes in surprise. "Good God you're in deep" he mutters as we make our way to the gym.

Six  
Several hours after John and I spoke in the library, I am getting dressed for Marina's birthday feast as Five is calling it. After a great of deliberating, I choose a strapless dark blue dress that has a vertical slit down the front in order to give my legs greater mobility with matching open toe high heels. "That will certainly catch John's attention" Five says from the door in a low cut red dress. I cross the room as gracefully as I can and stumble twice before I reach Five. "Here let me help you" she says steadying me and muttering a few words while she moves her hand in front of my face. Almost instantly, I'm able to walk on my own without any assistance. "What did you do? I ask amazed at my sudden ability to walk in heels.

"I used my sorcery to transfer knowledge on how to walk properly and give you better balance" Five informs me as we make our way to the elevator. "You don't want to be stumbling over John on the dance floor now do you?" "Err... I don't think Sarah will want me dancing with him considering how they're still together." "Oh don't worry about that" Five says with a sly grin. "I've persuaded Sarah that later tonight she will feel very tired and go to bed early. You'll have your man all to yourself. Just keep the dancing PG. There will be a small child in the room." I shake my head at Five's devious nature but am pleased at the same time. "Thanks Five." "Don't mention it. And please you all need to start calling me Talia. It's my real name after all." The elevator opens with a chime and we eagerly make our way to the party.

All the boys are dressed in tuxes while Sarah wears purple, Ella is in an adorable pink dress, and the birthday girl is dressed in dark green. They rise when we approach and sit back down when we find our seats. As do the Cepans, our trainers, and the two hundred or so clones that are in attendance. Five takes Marina's and says "Let the feast begin." No sooner are the words out of her mouth, mountains upon mountains if food begins flooding out if the kitchen. To start with, we are served shrimp cocktail, fried calamari, assorted cheeses, and small puff pastries filled with meat. This is followed by clam chowder and a light tomato and cream soup. Then we are given a light salad with a breadstick to clean our palate. The next course is Escargot, followed by seared scallops, grilled chicken, roasted pig, duck that is smothered in a vanilla and orange sauce, and a never ending supply of drinks.

Throughout the meal I notice John looking at me discreetly between bites of food and feel my heart beat a bit faster. Although the portions are relatively small, I consume so much I feel ready to burst. The desert course consists of a choice between fresh fruit, hazelnut gelato, raspberry sorbet, vanilla pudding, and chocolate mousse but I only have a little gelato. The final course however turns out to be an enormous chocolate cake that is the size of a small boat and is eight layers high.

Everyone is served a generous piece and cheers loudly after Marina blows out the candles. Once all the plates are cleared, several of the clones pull out interments and begin to play soothing music. True to Talia's word, Sarah tells John she is tired after so much food and will be turning in for the night. Marina and Eight take the dance floor after she leaves and are followed shortly after by Talia and Nine. John and I watch them dance for a while before he offers me his arm and asks if I would like to dance. We move slowly to the tempo of the music and my head rests against John's chest. Right before my eyes start to droop, I see Talia walk to the head table and pick up a glass.

She taps her glass for silence and the room immediately becomes quite. "This has been a very special day for a very special girl. Marina, it is an honor to have you as a friend and we wish you a happy birthday and many more. Now, we have eaten, danced, given gifts but before we celebrate any further, there is something I want to show you all." She steps away from the table and heads for the doors.  
We follow Talia into her very spacious office and crowd around her desk as she walks over to the elevator and punches in the security code. "Do you know what makes your birthday particularly special?" She asks Marina. Marina shakes her head no. "Your birthday falls on a day known as Walpurgis Night. I take it the nuns at your convent never taught you much about witches?" Marina shakes her head again as the elevator opens with a ding.

"Throughout the year witches celebrate special rituals known as Sabbaths. The four most important are Candlemas, Lammas, Halloween, and of course Walpurgis Night. Most of the time these human "witches" are charlatans and can't perform real magic but Walpurgis Night is of interest to us because it is the time of the year when Lorien is closest to the Earth and our sorcery is at its strongest."

The elevator descends quickly as Talia speaks and when we reach the lab, she goes on to explain how Walpurgis Night is the perfect time to perform the most difficult of spells. As we make our way through the lab clones salute us as we walk by and look on with an awed expression on their faces. We continue to walk down passage ways for several minutes until Talia unexpectedly stops. In front of us stands the large glass chamber that Talia showed to us on our tour of the facility. Only this time, there is a very subtle difference. Instead of being empty, the chamber contains three stone slabs and on each one rests a body with a white sheet covering most of the torso and legs. When I step closer, I see that the bodies are of three teenagers and each has a circular scar over their left ankle.  
**  
Here it is. The Return of One, Two, and Three. Please remember to review and as a result of traveling, I will sadly not be able to get The Fall of Five when it comes out "sigh". So could everyone please giving away any spoilers? Thanks. The Resurrection will take place by Wednesday.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello everyone. Hope you all are having a great school year and that you found the Fall of Five a worthy sequel for Rise of Nine. I am very sorry about the massive lack of updates but I recently started at a new school and have been absolutely swamped with work and I unfortunately lost the draft for the chapter and had to start over. Please don't be too angry and hope this chapter can make up for the extended break. To put some of your minds at ease, I personally guarantee that I will finish this story. However due to my schedule the updates will be a little slower. But enough from me, let the reading and commenting begin. **

Chapter 23

Adam  
I rush forward hardly believing what eyes are seeing. One looks almost exactly the same as I when I last saw her only her eyes are closed and her lips have a bluish hue to them. I look over towards Two and Three and see that death has left them in a similar condition to One. The reaming Garde and Sam are as equally surprised as I am and stare at the bodies with reverence. "How did you find them?" I ask hoarsely.

"We discovered where they were being held by hacking the Mogadorian security database. Then rescued them when we kidnapped your father" Five informs me as she walks over to a nearby desk and removes a small box from within. "After we rescued them, I repaired the damage to their bodies and placed them in cryogenic chambers until the time came to wake them up. Of course that would have been impossible without these." Pausing for effect, Five releases the lock on the box and removes three necklaces with blue stones dangling from the edge. I hear Nine take a sharp intake of breath next to before exclaiming "That's why you stole those things from Setrakus Ra?"

The room erupts in pandemonium as everyone starts talking at once demanding to know when this happened and how Five managed to grab them without having her Legacies stripped by Ra. Five holds her hands up for silence and removes the pendant she is wearing around her neck. Rather than a piece of blue Loralite, the stone at the end is dark red and much smaller. She holds up the pendant in her free hand so we can see it better and says "This is the Black Prince's Ruby. For centuries it has been owned by the rulers of England and until recently it was featured on the imperial crown of England. It is actually a piece of red Loralite, the rarest of all Loralite. Only ten pounds of the stone has ever been found. In addition to its rarity, red Loralite has the ability to neutralize a Garde's Legacies or enhance Legacies depending on what the person who possesses the stone wants. I believe when the Mogs invaded our home, they must have discovered the red Loralite the Elders had found and taken it on behalf of Setrakus Ra. This is most likely reason why he seems to have the ability to take our Legacies away."

Five puts the pendant back around her neck and turns back to face the chamber. "But enough about red Loralite. The time has come to make the Garde whole again and enter the final stage of this war." She enters the chamber and after checking the symbol on each stone, she places the necklaces on the appropriate Garde. Once that's done, Five seals the chamber and tells us to stand back. We do as she asks and watch with rapt attention as she sits on the floor of the lab, closes her eyes and assumes what looks like a meditation position with her legs crossed and hands pressed together.

Very softly, Five begins chanting in what I can only assume is Loric and begins to rise above the ground. "Azarath me kunda. Yatoo way yahoo way. Valar doheris sun tzu. Metrion. Zinthos" Five chants over and over again raising her voice slightly with each repetition. For ten minutes she chants to little effect until the Loralite suddenly begins to glow. At first, there is just a flicker but then the glow begins to pulse with light and becomes stronger with each passing second. I look to see how the others are reacting, I'm stunned o see that thier pendants are glowing. Without slowing down, Five stops rising and opens her eyes. Her eyes are alight with red light like when she took over my father's mind only this time she directs her powers at the glass chamber.

The bodies inside rise a few inches into the air hovering slightly above the slabs. Five's voice has now reached a fever pitch and she only repeats two words "Yatoo way. Yahto way" she shouts starring intently at the bodies. While she continues to chant those last words, the bodies of One, Two, and Three begin to shake as though they are having a spasm. I hear a hiss like something is burning and see smoke rising from the bodies where the pendant rests on the chest.

Then their eyes open to reveal a blue glow identical to the one coming from the Loralite. Suddenly, Five starts to slow down her chant and the bodies go still. Five descends to the ground and the bodies do the same. For a horrible moment, there is utter silence and I fear the spell was ineffective. But then, I see One's eyes shoot open and her chest rise as her lungs begin to work again. She is followed by Two, and finally Three. Against all odds, the fallen Garde have returned from the dead.  
Five grins proudly at her remarkable achievement but sits down warily as the newly resurrected Garde groggily get up and try to circulate blood into muscles that haven't been used in years. "What the fuck happened to my clothes?" One wonders out loud wrapping the sheet around herself. Then she looks up and finally notices us starring at her. One does a double take and briefly scans our faces to determine if we're friends or enemies. When her eyes settle on me, they widen with recognition and surprise.

Unfortunately, Two and Three also recognize me and when they do, expressions of rage and what I can only describe as pure fury overcome their faces. "You" Three hisses practically jumping up from his slab. I look to Five for help, but before she can even stand up, Three runs directly at the side of the chamber and teleports right in front of me. I flinch at his unexpected appearance in front of me (luckily he is wear a pair of boxers) but before I can react, Three punches me in the face and wraps his hands around my neck. "I should have recognized you and the other guy as Mogs" he shouts strangling me.

"This is for my Cepan" Three growls as black spots begin to cloud my vision. Luckily Eight and Nine recover from their shock and teleport behind Three, pull him off, and allow me to breathe again. Three thrashes around in their grasp while One watches with a bemused expression and Two continues to stare daggers at me. "You tricked me and killed Conrad!" Two shouts from inside the chamber.

Five gets up from her chair and places a hand on Three's head. "Relax" she says with just a touch of authority. Three struggles for another second before suddenly going limp in Eight and Nine's arms. I wipe blood from the side of my mouth as Five pulls up a chair for Three and addressees One and Two. "Greetings fellow Garde. I am Number Five otherwise known as Talia." "Where are we?" One demands moving closer to Five. "You're in my house" Five says opening the chamber to let them out. "Technically under it" she corrects herself as Two and One cautiously walk toward us.

"Where exactly are we in London?" Two asks. The others look at each other confused while Five scrutinizes Two intently. "Why would you...oh I see. That's what you remember last. Where do you think we are One?" One shrugs as she looks at me with something that resembles relief. "Well the last time I saw this sucker here" she says pointing to me "we were in Washington DC. If I had to guess, I would say we're somewhere in Canada or Mexico." Five nods sagely and says "Well to answer some of your many questions, we are in Argentina and this is the rest of the Garde and some of our allies." One immediately gravitates toward Nine and gives him a hot once-over. "Hello handsome" she says batting her eyelashes at him. "What's your number?"

For once in the time I've known him, Nine is at a loss for words. Five however isn't as stoked for One's charms as Nine is. "Five's boyfriend. That's his number" Five says with arms crossed. One sighs in disappointment and turns her attention to John and Eight. "Tell me that at least you two are available" John and Eight grin slightly but quickly shake their heads once Marina and Six glare at them. One groans loudly and indignantly says "Shit. This is what I get for staying dead for six years." We all laugh at that, even Five allows herself a small smile. I yawn suddenly and when I glance at my watch, I'm shocked to see that it is almost midnight.

Five takes notice as well and quickly introduces Hannibal, Sandor, Crayton, Ella, Sam, Malcolm, our trainers and explains how I now fight for the Loric. Once that's done, she gives the three new Garde a change of clothes before ushering everyone into the elevator. One, Two, and Three marvel at the marble staircases and crystal chandeliers as Five leads us back to the dining hall where Tyrion and Bronn await with her chest. When Hannibal and Five open it, she removes a small, bean shaped purple stone.

"Ah I see you recognize this" Five says when Nine's eyes widen after she removes the rock. "I have one in my chest but I've never figured out what it's supposed to do" Nine admits. "It's called a Seeker" Five explains holding it up to the light so we can all see it. "In the past it allowed the Loric to determine whether a Garde would be able to perform sorcery or not." Five places the Seeker in the center her hand and when she flips her hand over, the stone defies gravity and rolls under her hand and returns to its original position.

"I know that may not seem very impressive, but only a Garde who possess or is in the process of developing sorcery would be able to do that. So if the rest of you don't mind I'd like to run a little experiment to see who else is blessed with the mystic arts. One, would you mind starting first?" One steps in front of Five an eager light in her eyes as she accepts the Seeker. Unfortunately, when she flips her hand over the Seeker merely falls to floor. The same occurs with Two and Three but when John takes it, the Seeker not only rolls along his hand but it also turns invisible when it returns to the center of his hand. "Congratulations John. You are a sorcerer. " Five says as she takes the Seeker back. Six is not as lucky but the room becomes abuzz with conversation when Marina successfully rolls the Seeker over. Then, to everyone's utter amazement, Eight, Nine, and Ella are all able to make the Seeker defy gravity.  
Once the excitement dies down, Five tells everyone one to turn in for the night and promises a new and improved training session for tomorrow. While the others gravitate towards their rooms, I make my way over to One who has stayed behind with Two, Three and Five. "Hey" I say trying not to sound too casual but defiantly avoiding being formal. One stares at me before crossing her arms and crossly says "I spend over five years inside your head, shared my memories with you, gave you a superpower and all you can say is hey?"

"Ugh..." I respond turning more red each second I'm unable to think of an intelligent response. One's scowl suddenly becomes a grin and before I know it she has her arms wrapped around me. "You did it Adam you found the rest of the Garde. I'm so proud of you for coming this far." I beam with pride and note with some satisfaction that I'm now taller than One. Two and Three are no longer glaring at me but hold their distance nonetheless.

"I'm sorry to break up the reunion you two but I have some debriefing that needs to be taken care of and a flight to organize" Five says with a note of impatience. One let's go quickly and as an afterthought gives me a quick peck on the cheek. "We'll catch up later alright?" Then she's back at Five's side and soon I'm left entirely alone in the dining hall. I smile to myself before heading to my room.

Five  
One let's out a low whistle as we pass by a beautiful Michelangelo sculpture Hannibal picked up from a collector in Italy. "Damn your crib completely blows away anything Hilde and I ever had. What did you do, rob a bank?" One asks very impressed by the decor. "Actually I've robbed several banks during my time, as well as a dozen armored cars, about ten museums, and one or two casinos. But that barely paid for the first three floors of the building." That stops the others in their tracks and they state at me with varying degrees of disbelief.  
"Wow, and I thought I my shoplifting was going to be the biggest crime any of us ever committed." One mutters under her breath. In spite of the fact that she hit on my boyfriend, there's something about One and the way she speaks her mind that makes me respect her. "And your Cepan…let you do this?" Two asks from behind Three. "Who do you think helped me plan out the robberies?" I reply with a grin. After a few more turns, we reach my office and I invite them to take a seat. Once they're all comfortable, I begin the discussion.

"First I want to say that it is an honor to finally meet all of you" I say locking eyes with each of them. "Only by the slimmest of circumstances were you able to return at all. The only reason you are standing here now is because the Loralite around your necks prevented your souls from departing entirely from existence. Keep in mind that this is a onetime deal and if any of you die again, no amount of sorcery will be able to bring you back." I pause to check if everyone is still paying attention and am pleased to see that they are.

"Due to the nature of the transfer, each of you now has a mark that resembles a tattoo of your Loric number on your chest. There is nothing to be concerned about but I just wanted to let you know why the mark is there before you asked. I take all of you trained with your Cepans when you were alive?" They all nod but Two informs me that her training was limited to basic combat techniques. "That's not an issue Two. In addition to Hannibal, Sandor, and Crayton I have several highly skilled human trainers that will assist in preparing you for the war. The best part is that you'll never have to worry about Mogs or nosy humans discovering us. You can use your Legacies to your heart's content all in complete comfort. Any questions?"

Three tentatively raises his hand and asks "So how did you afford this place if all those robberies weren't enough?" I smile slyly as I sit back in my seat and use telekinesis to pour everyone a cup of water. "Among other things I am the head of an organization called the Society of Shadows..."

Four  
I wake up to the sensation of Bernie Kosar licking my fingers. _Wake up John_ he says waging his tail at a furious pace. I open my eyes slowly and as they adjust the light streaming into my room, I'm greeted by the sight of Bernie Kosar running around my bed alternating between his beagle form and other creatures. "Relax, I'm awake" I mutter throwing of the sheets and heading to the bathroom_. I don't want to be late for my training with the other Chimera_ he says following me over to the sink. "Right. And this wouldn't have anything to do with spending some extra time with Nymeria would it? I tease him.

BK stops waging his tail and barks indignantly. _Do I make fun of your love life?_ He says while I brush my teeth. _At least I'm sure who I want my mate to be_ he says causing me to sputter on my toothpaste. "Relationships between people are much more complicated than that." I try to explain as I finish up in the bathroom. _Really?_ He asks as I pull on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. _Finding a potential mate is the whole point of relationships_ BK tells me as we head outside.  
"No they're not" I retort.  
_Yes they are_  
"Are not"  
_Are too_  
I give an exasperated sigh and jog toward the shooting range with BK at my side.

Five and Nine are already waiting for me at the range with their Chimera. When I get closer I see that Five is practicing her shooting while Nine uses his telekinesis to toss clay pigeons into the air. "Pull" Five calls out drawing two Glocks from her side holsters. Nine launches four of his clay disks into the air simultaneously which are then systematically shot down by Five before they touch the ground. Impressed by her superior marksmanship, I begin to clap causing the two of them to turn towards me.

"Thanks John" Five says holstering her weapons. "You want to give it a go?" Nine asks with a grin. I pick up one of the spare Barrettas and steady my hands. "Pull" I call out. Nine throws three disks into the air and although I miss the first one, I'm able to take down the other two using a total of five shots.

On the next throw, I shoot down all three but use six shots. Then, without warning Nine throws four disks into the air. I bring one disk down on my first shot, a second disk on my third shot, but on my forth shot, I miss and hear the click announcing the gun is empty. Wasting no time, I summon fire in both my hands and launch my fireballs at the remaining two disks. The fire makes contact with each disk causing their ashes to rain down over the range.  
"Well done" Five comments as she cleans her own gear. I lower my gun and place it back on the table. While Nine loads his own weapon, Five gathers the Chimera and tells them to return in an hour. Zod, Nymeria, and BK then transform into birds and take off into the air. Five watches them fly away before she turns to me and says "Come, let's take a little stroll." Before we leave, Five kisses Nine and reminds him to meet us back at the house for breakfast once he finishes. Nine nods and waves to me as we make our way across the property.  
"So how does it feel to be a sorcerer?" Five asks me after the range is out of sight. "I feel virtually the same" I reply honestly. "Why? Should I feel filled with power or something?"  
"No" Five replies casually using her telekinesis to juggle a few random stones in the air. "You'll feel the same all the time but now you can do things that Legacies can not." "Like what?" I inquire.  
Five stops at a ridge that overlooks the house and a provides us with a view of the rising sun. "For starters, you'll be able to create illusions with your mind that will appear real to everyone else. You'll also be able to speak and understand Loric more easily since it's hardwired into our brains and imperative for certain enchantments. In addition, sorcerers are able to learn and memorize information at, accelerated rate, enchant objects with their power, and we can use power contained within pieces of Loralite."I gaze upon the sunrise in front of me. The thought of all that power at my fingertips is enough to make my head spin.  
Five then tears her gaze away from the sunrise and unexpectedly asks "May I confide something with you Four?" I nod slowly not sure what Five will tell me. Five takes a deep breath and says "You are aware that the ten of us are supposed to assume the role of the original nine Loric Elders correct?" I nod again recalling Henri's final letter to me. "Then why is it that there are ten of us rather than nine?" I feel a wave of confusion overcome me. "I'm not sure I follow" I reply after a minute of saying nothing. "I mean why were ten children selected to assume the power of the original Elders when there were only nine Elders in the beginning" Five says as we walk back to the house. "Is it possible that Lorien just needs a new Elder?" I ask lamely.  
"Maybe, but why would we need a tenth Elder now when nine were enough in the past?" Five counters. She looks at me expectedly as though she wants me to guess the correct answer or read her mind. Then it dawns on me. "Are you saying that there are ten of us because there was a tenth Elder?" Five claps slowly and says "That's exactly what I think. Of course I could be completely wrong and you could be right or perhaps there's a completely different reason. But, I think the most likely reason is that there was or still is a tenth Elder that no one seems to remember or want to remember."  
"But why would the Elders not want the tenth one to be remembered?" I ask Five as the house comes into view. Five shrugs her shoulders and says "Again this is just speculation but perhaps the tenth Elder abused their power or sought to control the others. Whatever it was, the other Elders clearly felt it was terrible enough to make sure no one would ever remember."

Five then pauses again and turns to look at me. "There are two more things I need to discuss with you" Five says looking around covertly to make sure we're alone. "What is it?" I ask puzzled by her need for secrecy. "I know this isn't my business but you really need to resolve your relationship situation." I feel my face flush but keep my voice even. "How so?" I demand.

Five sighs and hesitantly puts her hand on my shoulder. "I know this is a delicate matter but I can't beat around the bush. You can't have both Sarah and Six as your girlfriend, you must make a choice and soon." She lets go of my shoulder and when she speaks again her voice takes a softer tone. "I fear that this war is only going to escalate and when that happens, we need everyone to be 100% in the fight. We can't afford to have conflicted emotions cloud our judgment." I feel a sudden spark of anger and clench my fists. "Are you implying that I don't care enough about Lorien to fight effectively?"

Five looks at me with a pained expression. "No. That is not what I meant. What I am trying to say is that this dilemma you have is a distraction and distractions are dangerous things to have in the middle of a war." I unclench my fists reluctantly realizing Five has a valid point. "I can't just choose one over the other. They both mean so much to me." Five nods understandingly and opens the front door for me. "I know you love them both but you're going to have to make a decision by tomorrow." I stop dead in my tracks and whip around to face Five. "Why?"

"I've told the Harts everything that I could about who we are, the Mogs, and the war in the best possible light but unfortunately, they do not possess the strength of their daughter. They're absolutely terrified that they've been dragged into an intergalactic war and are demanding that I release them and their family today."

"Can't you just use your mind control to convince them to stay?"

Five shifts her weight and fingers her pendant. "The Harts are absolutely adamant about leaving, and the harder I need to push someone's mind, the higher the chance of brain damage." I feel an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and shove my hands into my pocket. "What's the second thing you wanted to tell me?"

"It concerns Pittacus" Five says which immediately catches my attention. "The others aren't aware of this yet but from what I've been able to gather, Pittacus Lore was also a Loric sorcerer meaning that either you, Nine, Marina, Eight, or I am the heir of Pittacus and will assume his powers."

**So One, Two, and Three have finally returned and we are beginning to get to the air of Pittacus. Hoped you all enjoyed it and please remember to comment and review. The next chapter will not take as long and I will do my best to make chapters in a more timely manner. DarksideShrike out. **


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello everyone. Another day another update. Before we get to the chapter, I feel the need to vent.**

** I'm not happy folks… Not happy. Why you ask? Well its quiet simple, I recently finished the Fall of Five. Naturally I had no idea what was coming but when I got to the last few chapters I felt utter betrayed. I went through the whole spectrum of emotions and almost throw the book out my window but quickly realized it wasn't the books fault. I sincerely hope Pittacus Lore comes to his senses and redeems himself in the next book. Therefore, this chapter is dedicated to all you Eight fans reading this. Believe me, I feel your pain.**

**But enough with the negativity, some of asked me some very important questions last time and I want to take a moment to answer them. First up is ZazzyZ, Nine acquired the ability to teleport when the Garde stormed the West Virginia base and I gave Three teleportation when he was resurrected and saw Adam since emotion triggers Legacies. Anonymous Guests….the Elders will be covered in the near future and the Garde will slowly figure out who is who. I appreciate the great suggestion about Ella and you are absolutely right. Juggling all the others characters have unfortunately caused me to neglect her. She will have a POV soon as well as Adam who hasn't been getting too much attention. Now, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for…. **

Chapter 24

Four  
I look at Five unsure if I misheard what she said. "I could be the heir of Pittacus Lore?" I whisper. When Five nods I see she is completely serious. "How could you know that? No one has seen Pittacus since the day that Lorien was decimated by the Mogs" I stammer. "Do you remember the book I used to reserect One, Two, and Three?" Five asks as we walk down the hall. "Sure, what about it?"

"In addition to spells, the book also speaks a little of Lorien's history and the Elders." I fall silent trying to process everything Five has just told me. "I sense you're troubled" Five muses. "It's a lot to take in" I retort still attempting to contemplate the possibilities of what I could do with that much power. Five smile reassuring and leads me to the dining room where Nine awaits with our Chimera. BK jumps up when he sees me and eagerly tells me about his training as I take a seat. "Cornflakes?" Nine asks offering me the box. I gratefully accept the box and pour myself some breakfast.

Seven  
_Marina...Marina_ I hear a voice calling. "Who's there?" I mummer sleepily. I turn over onto my side and see Faora in her leopard form gazing at me with amber eyes._ It's time for breakfast. _I groan audibly and turn over on my side. "Five more minutes" I beg her. Faora flicks her tail dismissively and gently pries the sheets away from me. I sigh as I pull myself into a sitting position and stroke Faora's head. "Alright you woke me up. No need to be so proud about it."  
I quickly throw on some clothes and open the door for Faora.

As she pads down the hall, I quickly fix my bed and brush my teeth. While I go through my morning routine, I think about my days back at Santa Teresa. Waking up at seven, getting dressed, making my bed, using the bathroom, morning prayers, then off to school. Only now, my room is the size of my old dorm, and school has been replaced by training. Training that Adelina should have started with me. I put down my brush and look sadly into the mirror. Although I loved all my gifts yesterday and my new life with the others is perfect, I can't help but wish Adelina had been there to see me turn eighteen.  
I feel a sudden pang of jealousy for Five, Nine, and Ella. Everyone except Five lost their Cepans and out of all the Cepans Five was able to bring back Sandor and Crayton. My jealousy quickly turns to guilt. Five has been nothing but kind to me and I know all too well the pain Ella and Nine went through losing their Cepans. I'm so consumed by my guilty emotions that I nearly walk into Eight in the hallway.  
"Hey take it easy Marina. I'm sure there's still some breakfast left" Eight says with an easy smile. I blush quickly forgetting about my troubles. "Sorry still haven't woken up completely." Eight pulls me into his arms and whispers "Consider this a wakeup call then." He kisses me lightly on the lips and uses his index finger to tilt my head up. I almost forget to breathe and am only partly aware of his hands gently caressing my back. When he pulls away, my heart feels like it's beating three times faster than normal. "I think I could get used to a wakeup call like that" I finally say, my voice slightly husky. Eight grins and wraps his arm around my shoulders. "Let's get some food then."  
Over a light breakfast of oatmeal and toast, Five announces that John will be not be training today due to personal reasons after Eight points out his absence. I notice however Sarah is also missing and Five seems to be having a private telekinetic exchange with Six. I look towards Ella who is happily sitting next to Crayton while munching on a spoonful of cereal. _Hey Ella _I call out telepathically causing her to look up with cheeks stuffed with oats. _Any idea what Five and Six are saying? _  
Ella furrows her brow trying to mentally listen to their telepathic conversation. However, something Ella does tips Five off and she looks at the two of us with a fierce glare. _You know girls, it's terribly rude to try and read another girl's mind without permission_ I hear Five's voice say in my head.  
I feel my face burn with embarrassment but rather than anger, I hear Five's laughter echo through my head. _I'm so proud of the two of you using your Legacies so intuitively._ I breathe a sigh of relief and smile at Eight who squeezes my hand in return, unaware of what's going on. Once we finish, Five gets up and leads us towards the gym. Only instead of going in, we head into the room directly opposite to the gym.

We file in one at a time and enter a room filled with computer monitors, long glass cylinders that line the walls, and thousands of wires. However, we are not alone in the room. In addition to Eddard and Cornelius, a third man awaits for us.

The third man is rather gaunt, appears to be in his thirties, has light brown hair, and is wearing a thick pair of glasses. "Good morning Garde" Eddard greets us as we get closer to the cylinders. Five stands next to the third man and asks us to form a circle around the cylinders.  
"My friends, I'd like you to meet another one of my best scientists; Dr. Jonathan Crane. Dr. Crane here was a specialist on neurology until the Mogadorians kidnapped him a few years back. After we rescued him, he decided to work for us and is responsible for the creation of the machines in standing front of you."

I glance at the cylinders and furrow my brow as I try to figure out what they're supposed to do. Apparently One is thinking the same thing because suddenly asks "What are these things suppose to be and what do they have to do with ner...new..."  
"Neurology" Dr. Crane corrects her walking over to one of the monitors. "Simply put, Neurology is the study of the nervous system. My specialty is the occipital lobe or part of the brain that processes what you see and how the brain interprets it. These machines before you, allow us to feed images directly into to your mind and trick it into believing it is reality. In others words; virtual reality. "  
We gaze at the machine hardly believing what we've just been told, when Nine asks "What kind of images can you project?" "Practically anything" Five replies booting up one of the computers. "We mainly use the pods for training exercises but we can simulate the streets of any city, zero gravity, the bottom of the ocean, a beach, a jungle, or the Arctic Circle." She glances up as the nearest pod opens to reveal a cushioned chamber with some sort of helmet attached to the top. "So who wants to try it first?"

Four  
Sarah grips my arm firmly as we make our way through the garden. "It's so beautiful here" Sarah says after we pass an elaborate fountain spraying water into the air." "Not as beautiful as you." I whisper back.  
Sarah smiles and kisses me gently on the cheek. Walking with Sarah reminds me of our days together in Paradise, before the Mogs came, before Henri died, and before I met Six. Reminiscing about the past suddenly reminds me of my feelings for Six and what Five told me about the Harts. Before I can reminisce any further, Sarah pulls away from me and takes a seat on a nearby bench.  
I look at her confused but she pats the space next to her and I eagerly sit down. Sarah then takes my hand and says "John I have something I need to tell you." I'm instantly on my guard recalling my earlier conversation with Five and Sandor's advice about girls. Sarah takes a deep breath as if she's slightly unsure of herself but when she speaks; her voice is steady and devoid of uncertainty.  
"I can't stay here John." I blink rapidly surprised by the sudden urgency in Sarah's voice, but decide to go along. "Why not?"  
"It's my parents. They feel that it's not safe for us here and we shouldn't be together" Sarah says tearfully. Before I can attempt to comfort her, Sarah wipes a tear away and continues.  
"I tried telling them that you and the other Garde can protect us but they won't listen. They think you're all dangerous criminals and our whole family will be caught in the crossfire. But most of all they're afraid of the Mogadorians and what they'll do to us if they find us. To top it all off, my parents want to move us as far away from here as possible."  
A hopeful look then crosses Sarah's face. "Come with us" she begs taking both my hands. "To where?" "To wherever we go. Five has offered to give my parents as much money they want when they go and a security team for protection."  
I slowly stand up and kneel in front of Sarah so we're eye to eye. "Sarah" I begin trying to be as gentle as possible. "I love you so much but I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you. I know you want to fight with us but this war is only going to get worse and there will be casualties. I wouldn't be able to go on if you were one of them."  
"But if you came with us you wouldn't have to fight. Don't you want to be with me?" Sarah cries. "Of course I want to be with you. But I have a duty to my people to end this damn war. I can't abandon the others to fight alone just so I can stay safe with you."  
Sarah's eyes suddenly harden and she let's go of my hands. "This is about Six isn't it?" Sarah demands. "What are you talking about? This isn't about Six at all, this is about us" I tell her. Sarah crosses her arms and stands up. I get to my feet and try to take her hands again but she just pulls away. "You know you never did answer my question about whether you kissed Six or not" Sarah says coldly. I say nothing in response, too tired to deny it or argue. Sarah looks at me expectantly and I slowly nod my head.  
Sarah raises her hand as though she's about to hit me but at the last second, she drops her hand to her side. Rather than anger, I see a mix of sadness and disappointment written across her face. Without a word, Sarah turns around and walks back to the house leaving me alone.

Nine  
"There are several options for training simulation" Talia explains as we place ourselves into pods. "One on one, team death match, free for all, capture the flag, or live combat. Each simulation will begin without the use of Legacies, but after the first few minutes of a simulation, one of your Legacies will become available. Each minute after the first Legacy becomes available you will be able to use another of your Legacies. However, while in the simulation you can use your mind to create any weapon you desire to use. Today we will only be using the one on one simulation but on each round there will be one group of three to offset the absence of John. Any questions?"  
At that moment the door is shoved open and John walks in, visibly distraught over something. He walks over to Talia and has a quick word with her before strapping himself in the pod next to me. Dr. Crane makes some last minute checks on his computer before nodding to Five and lowering the metal cap onto One's head and sealing her chamber. Five climbs into one of the remaining pods and says "Close your eyes when the cap is placed on. It will help with the transition." One by one Dr. Crane and Eddard place the caps on our heads and when my turn comes I follow Talia's suggestion. When the cap activates, I see a blight flash of light and then experience the uncomfortable sensation of falling into what seems like a bottomless pit.

When I open my eyes, I am standing in what appears to be an old subway station. The station is dimly lit, has graffiti all over the walls, and even smells like a train station. In front of me nearly fifty feet away stands Talia. Talia smiles sweetly at me and begins walking towards me. "Nine" she says smiling even wider.  
I tilt my head slightly to the left trying to take in my new settings and why Talia is looking at me the way she is. I'm tempted to walk toward her but the way she's smiling is rather unsettling so I hold my ground instead. Then, completely out of the blue, Talia whips out a handgun and opens fire. I duck behind a support column and three of the bullets strike the front, causing plaster to spray into the air. I tentatively stick my head around the column and am greeted by two more shots, one of which grazes my face. Although I know the world around me is not real I'm surprised when I feel something warm run down the side of my face and when I touch it, my hand becomes sticky with blood.  
I take a deep breath and run around the other side of the column and slam into Talia. She cries out in surprise and tries to fire another shot but I knock the gun out of her hand and onto the track. I follow with a jab to the side, but Talia grabs my arm and pins it to her body. With her free hand, Talia lands two brutal blows against my chest. On the third hit, I deflect her fist and manage to free my arm.  
Before I can counter attack, Talia lifts me up and throws me into the nearest wall. I feel something in my chest crack when I slam into the cement, and I'm thrown with such force I leave a dent in the wall. I place my hand against the injured area trying to access the damage to my ribs while Talia cracks her knuckles and grins cockily. "You're going to have to do a lot better than that Nine" she says brushing one dust off of her shirt. To underline her point, Talia summons a ball of pure energy and launches it directly at me. I move slightly out of the way but part of the blast hits my shoulder and makes me roar with pain.  
While I lie on the floor, Talia slowly makes her way towards me with a completely relaxed, almost bored expression. In a last desperate attempt, I stick my hand outwards and am rewarded with a powerful telekinetic blast that sends Talia backwards and through the support column that I was hiding behind. Allowing myself a small smile, I slowly stand up and try to get some feeling back into my body.  
Talia is lying in a pile of rubble with a somewhat dazed expression on her face as I approach the remains of the column. This however is a ruse and as soon as I get close, Talia springs to her feet and hits me across the face. This is followed by a kick to the stomach, another punch that I block, and a roundhouse kick to my side. I retaliate with a head but, a fake left hook, and a kick to the midsection.  
Talia hardly reacts to my hits and shoves me up against another support column. I duck a powerful right hook that takes out a chunk of the column and roll away as her left hook takes out another piece of the column. We dance around each other landing punches and kicks when we can until I gain an advantage by kicking her into the wall. I'm next to her in an instant and start raining punches against her sides. My arms are moving so fast, they become a dark blur as each hit makes solid contact.  
When I finally pull away, Talia collapses to the ground and spits out some blood. Now I'm concerned I've done some serious damage, and I hear Talia muttering something as she tries to breath. "Talia are you alright? Speak to me!"  
"I wish...you...had...this much...stamina...last night." I stare at Talia in shock when I hear the unmistakable sound of a train horn. I turn my head for just a fraction of a second but it is enough. While I'm distracted, Talia wraps her arms around my waist to prevent me from escaping, and she flies us directly into the opposite wall practically dislocating my spine in the process.  
I groan when we hit the tracks and am hardly aware of Talia holding me down, as the train rapidly approaches. "Have you ever heard of the light at the end of the tunnel theory Nine?" Talia asks me. "In your case, the light is a train. Try not to fight it." I try to pry her hands off, but each attempt I make seems more feeble than the last. I pretend to grow weaker as the train gets closer and feel Talia's grip loosen slightly. I then teleport myself back onto the platform leaving Talia alone on the track, right in front of the oncoming train.  
Talia's expression is priceless as she grabs the air where I was a second ago and sees me waving at her away from the track. "You son of a..." she begins just as the train runs her over.  
I feel somewhat guilty in letting my girlfriend get hit by a train but quickly dismiss it considering she was trying to do the exact same thing to me. Slowly the simulation fades away and I find myself back in the room where we started. After I remove the cap and step out if my pod, I notice everyone is out of their pods and Talia and I are the last pair to finish.  
"That was amazing" Sam exclaims as Talia exits her pod. "It felt so real." "What is real?" Talia replies. "How do you define real? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain. Perception is everything." I nod my head in agreement, when I feel a sudden pain in my chest. Upon closer examination, I discover that the pain is coming from the cracked rib I suffered in the simulation. I look at Talia and say "This isn't possible. I feel pain where I was injured in the simulation."  
"The mind makes it feel real. Unless you die, then the simulation ends before you experience any severe pain. It will fade in a few hours at most. Come" she says to others. "We have some things we need to discuss"  
She leads us back to the dining hall and asks a nearby clone to fetch us some drinks. "Let me tell you all a little story" Five says pulling out a chair. "Nearly one thousand and five hundred years ago the western half of the Roman Empire collapsed. Two thousand years of Roman power and dominance over the world finally came to an end. However, the eastern half of the empire would survive as the Byzantium Empire for nearly another thousand years. And like all great empires, the Loric would be there to offer assistance. One of the biggest contributions that the Loric made to the Byzantium Empire was the construction of a fabulous library in the capitol of Constantinople."

"This was no ordinary library mind you. The builders and subsequent Byzantium emperors filled the library with thousands of rare books and immense treasures. Some of which were Loric in origin. For centuries the Byzantines withstood famine, war, the Crusades, and served as a beacon of advancement. However, their rule was not to last. In the fifteenth century, a new threat appeared on the horizon."

"While the Byzantine emperors grew complacent, the Ottoman Turks were growing in strength and by 1450, they turned their attention to Constantinople. The Byzantines were hopelessly outmatched but the emperor at the time, Constantine XI was astute to realize the library had to be protected at all costs. "

"So, the Emperor's niece, Sophia Paleologue was quickly was married off to the crown prince of Russia who would later become Ivan III and the entire contents of the library was shipped off to Moscow. While the emperor was successful in protecting the library, he was not as fortune in saving his empire. On May 29, 1453 an Ottoman force of over a hundred and forty thousand men stormed Constantinople and incorporated it into the Ottoman Empire."

"While all this was going on, the books found a new home in an old Russian fortress known as the Kremlin. Over the course of Ivan's reign, the Kremlin changed from a rundown wood fortress to a massive stone citadel which continues to stand today. While the fortress served mainly as a military outpost, the under levels were expanded and turned a network of secret tunnels and passageways to hide the books and treasure."

"While the Kremlin protected the books very well, it could not protect the books from being lost to the ages. After Ivan III died, rule passed to his grandson Ivan IV who became known as Ivan the Terrible. During the rule of Ivan the Terrible, the term Czar was coined and the new Czar unleashed a reign of terror that Russia hadn't witnessed since the time of the Mongols. As Ivan's behavior become more erratic and he slipped further into insanity, the exact location of library faded from memory. And for the last five and half centuries the location of the library has remained a mystery." Talia then reaches into her pocket and holds up the Hope Diamond. "Until now."

**Cliffhanger! What do you guys think the Garde will do with the library? What should I do with the Sarah/John situation? Hope you all enjoyed that, the next update will take place on my birthday which is this week. Please remember to review/comment and have a great day. **


	25. Chapter 25

**Hello all, while I posted this I took a quick peak at your reviews and almost passed out from excitement. 124 REVIEWS! That is by far the best gift you guys could have given me. You are the best readers ever. As promised the next chapter has arrived just in time for my birthday although due to celebrations, it is being posted a little later than I wanted. I noticed a lot of negativity about Sarah and while this is a 4/6 story I can't help but ask you guys why you all dislike Sarah so much. Whoever has the most entertaining response to this question will get a shout out in the next chapter. Now, on to the chapter things are only going to get more intense for the Garde…..**

Chapter 25

Seven

"I can't believe we're going to Russia!" Ella exclaims jumping on my bed. I grin at her as I throw toiletries and clothes into the luggage Talia was kind enough to give me. "Do you have any ideas what it's like?" Ella asks me with wide eyes. I place one last shirt inside my bag before zipping it up and taking a seat beside Ella.

"Well Adelina and I spent a few days in Ukraine while we were moving around Europe. That's the closest I've ever been to Russia but she told me it's very similar. The country is rich in oil, and very large but most of it is inhabited. The winters are brutally cold and the summers are rather mild. According to Talia, Napoleon tried to conquer the whole country in 1815 but the winter forced him to leave and killed most of his soldiers. She also told me the only person ever to successfully conquer Russia was Genghis Khan. Although my time in Ukraine wasn't very the best, Talia told me we will be staying in a very nice place while we are in Russia."

"Where are we staying?" I set my bag down carefully and take a seat beside Ella. "I don't where exactly but Talia said it would be at a friend's house. But knowing Talia, it'll probably be someone from the Society." I pat Ella's leg and stand up. "Come I'll help you pick out what to bring."

Six

Just as I finish packing, I hear a loud rap at my door causing Arya to squawk loudly in her hawk form. "It's open" I call out, hoping that John is outside. My hopes are quickly dashed however when Talia walks in flanked by Tyrion and Bronn. "Are you ready to go?" Talia inquires as she comes closer to me. I nod in response not entirely sure what Talia wants to talk about. Sensing my hesitation, Talia asks the clones to wait outside for us.

She offers me a warm smile and takes a seat across from me. "You look disappointed to see me Six. Were you expecting someone else?" I blush slightly which only makes Talia smile wider. "You were hoping I was John. Weren't you ?" I nod again and she takes my hand. "Don't worry about it. That boy will come to his senses soon enough."

I sigh loudly and reply "I hope you're right. The waiting is killing me." Talia stands up and whispers "Then you just have to remind him what he's missing." I let out a laugh and stand up as well. "You're terrible. You know that right?"

"I take great pride in it" Talia replies walking towards the door. Before she opens it however she turns to me with an unreadable expression on her face. "Oh before we leave there's something I need to give to you." Talia then opens the door a crack so I can't see what's on the other side and says "You can bring it in now boys." Tyrion and Bronn then reenter the room carrying what looks like Talia's chest. Rather than letting Talia open it however, they set the chest down in from of me. I look toward Talia confused as to what's going on. _Look at it_ Talia's voice echoes.

I turn back to the chest and almost stop breathing. Although the design is very similar, this chest is made of wood that is a slightly different hue, and has a few extra scuff marks on it that I instantly recognize. After almost four years, I finally am reunited with my chest.

Nine

As I'm walking down the hall with my luggage and Zod by my side, I almost run into some guy wearing a suit carrying some luggage. I try to apologize for not looking ahead but when I look closer, I realize that it's Sandor minus his beard. I do a double take and set my luggage down. "Dude what happened to your hair? I didn't recognize you."

"It's called shaving. You should try it sometime" Sandor replies grinning broadly. Without his beard Sandor much younger, more like an older brother than my Cepan. However, the scar that runs diagonally across his cheek and lips is now clearly visible. "I know how to shave but it's just weird seeing you without your beard. I almost forgot there was a face behind all that hair". Sandor smirks and mutters "Very funny" before picking up his bag and walking down the hall. "Come on, we have a plane to load."

Six

I stare open mouthed at my chest not sure if this is some sort of bizarre dream or Talia is pulling a prank on me. I feel myself moving forward and pick up my chest as if it's made of the finest glass. "How...Where..." I stutter, too shocked to even know what to ask.

"The General had access codes to the Pentagon and after you asked me for help, it was just a matter of sending a few of my Ishphenni to retrieve it. I take it that you're happy to have your chest back." "Beyond happy" I reply, embracing Talia warmly. "Thank you so much Talia. It's been so long since I've had it that I lost all hope of ever seeing it again."

"Don't mention it Six, although there is one thing you could do for me." "Anything." Talia smiles wryly. "Would you mind showing me the inside of your chest? I'm curious to see what the contents are."

I happily oblige and place my hand in the center. A warm sensation spreads from the box to my hand, and with an audibly click, the top springs open. I slowly lift the top up and cautiously peer inside. Examining the contents of my Inheritance is both exciting and frustrating. While I finally have it, I am unable to figure out what most of the objects are supposed to do. One by one, Talia and I remove each object from the chest and lay them on my table. While I immediately recognize a piece of Xitharis and a healing stone, the other thirteen stones and trinkets are a mystery to me.

"Any idea what this thing is supposed to do?" I ask picking up an orange crystal that's in the shape of an ice-cream cone. "That's a Projector. It allows you to project your image to another person. I actually have one in my Chest so I can show you how to use it if you want." I nod my thanks and turn my attention back to the other scattered objects "What about the rest of the Chest?"

Talia painstakingly examines each object and tells me what each one does when she knows the answer. According to what Talia knows, I have a small pouch of Loric Salt, a red stone that allows me to see through solid objects, and a flat blue oval shaped stone that allows me to disrupt anything electronic. While I ponder the possibilities of the Disrupter (the name Talia identified as) I roll the X Ray Stone between my hands.

"So this can allow me to see through anything?" I ask eagerly. "Yep" Talia replies holding up what looks like a horn from some animal. "Does that include….clothing?"

Talia looks up from the horn with a somewhat miffed expression. "Oh you're sick." Then, after a tense pause she breaks out into a grin. "Yes. You can see through clothes. But please don't give Nine any bad ideas" she begs. "He has one of these things too."

"Wouldn't dream of it" I laugh putting the stone down. "What about these?" I ask holding up what looks like a matching pair of metal braces that are roughly the length of my forearm. Each has a silver hue, is completely enclosed by the metal, and four wicked looking, curved spikes protrude from the sides. While Talia examines one, I place the other on my right arm.

At first, the brace is much too large for my arm but somehow it shrinks in size and fits perfectly after I slip it on. I position my arm horizontally across my body to examine the spikes better when suddenly without any warning; the spikes shoot out of the brace and impale themselves in the wall. Talia cautiously places the other brace back on the table while I look back and forth between the wall and my new toy.

"Maybe I should try and find you some instructions first" Talia remarks dryly pulling one of the spikes out with telekinesis. At that moment there is a knock at the door and Hannibal enters the room. He glances briefly at the wall before turning to us with a bemused expression. "Are you girls having fun?"

"Plenty" I reply pulling the out the remaining spikes. He smiles briefly and walks over to the table we laid the objects on. "It seems you have a pair of Loric Vambraces" he informs me picking up the other brace. "Loric what?"

"Vambraces. They're pieces of armor that you wear to protect your arms. These however seem to double as weapons though." Hannibal sets the vambraces back down and says "We can go whenever you're ready. The others are waiting downstairs for us." I quickly remove the vambrace and resume my packing. While I work Talia and Hannibal carefully place everything back in the chest. No sooner do I throw the last shirt in my bag, Talia hands me my Chest. "Let's go, Russia awaits"

When we reach the lobby, everyone is waiting with their bags and Chimera. My heart does a little tap dance when John smiles at me and Talia uses telepathy to discreetly whispers _He's working things out Sarah._ I smile back at John and gently stroke Arya as she perches on my arm. Talia leads the way out of the house and takes us towards the airfield. "Lost Library here we come."

_Sometime later…._

Eight

I sigh contently as I take a sip of fresh orange juice and listen to the gently hum of the plane and Marian's snores. For the past hour, we have been flying over Germany and have been dividing our time between sleeping and other activities. Balerion watches me in the form of a lizard while Faora dozes in the aisle. I glance over at Marina and feel myself studying her. Her chest rises slightly as she sleeps, her snores are delicate, and there is a loose strand of hair in her face.

I brush it to the side and she stirs briefly in her sleep. She turns over so her face is pointing towards me and breathes in deeply. A few minutes later she slowly blinks her eyes open and looks up at me. "Hello beautiful " I say causing her to roll her eyes. "Hey yourself" she says sitting up in her seat. She gives yawn and tucks her arms in. "How much longer do we have until we reach Russia?"

"Another four and half hours" I reply after a quick look at my entertainment system. Marina strokes Faora along her back while I take her hand and admire the way the sunlight reflects the colors in her eyes. I am just about to kiss her, when Five literally appears right in front of me in the aisle. I practically jump into the air and let out a loud curse causing Marina and Five to burst out in laughter. "Chill Eight, it's just my projection" Five says grinning from ear to ear. I huff indignantly and look at Balerion who has turned into a squirrel. "You still scared the crap out of me. I swear you're worse than Nine."

Five paces the aisle and replies "I'll pass that along. Anyway the reason I came was to tell you that I need to see you two in the hold. I have something I need to show you." Without waiting for a response, Five winks out of existence. I groan internally at the interruption but decide that it must be important. Without further delay, Marina and I get out of our seats and make our way down the plane. When we finally arrive in the hold, Five, Nine, John, Six, Sam, Adam and Ella are already waiting for us around a circular table.

On the table, Five's chest rests in the center surrounded by four ceramic bowls. In each of the bowls is a different substance. One bowl is filled with water, another contains burning pieces of wood, the third bowl has dirt, but the fourth is the most intriguing. At first, I assume the bowl is empty since I don't see anything right away but when I look closer, I see vapor rising in small puffs like steam.

"Thanks for coming everyone" Five says opening her chest. "Today I want to teach you some basic sorcery. One of the fundamental powers a sorcerer masters is control over one of the elements; fire, wind, water, or earth. This is extremely useful in a fight but is rather hard to control at first."

I immediately become very aware of the fact that we are in an enclosed space thousands of feet in the air and practicing sorcery might not be so good for our health. Apparently, Five catches my thought and quickly adds. "I sense some of you are concerned about the possible hazards of doing this on a plane. Don't worry it's perfectly safe, especially after you take some precautions" Five then removes a small red stone that's roughly the size of a chalk stick and has a pointy end.

She takes the stone and begins tracing the outline of a circle with the pointy end. Much to all our surprise, the ground lights up with a red glow in the area where Five traced the circle. "Now, this circle I've just drawn will contain your powers within this area and prevent you from releasing anything into the plane. Now, who wants to go first?" Nine steps forward with a cocky grin and Five tells him to stand in the center. The glow around the circle lights up when Nine crosses the perimeter and begins to pulse.

Five then uses telekinesis to pull the bowl of dirt into her hands and gives it to Nine. "Run your right hand slowly over the top of the bowl" Five instructs. "Once you finish, do it again and tell us if you feel anything." Nine does as she asks but after a tense minute of silence, he shakes his head. Five takes the dirt bowl back and hands him the water. Once again nothing happens, and this time I see a look of annoyance cross Nine's face after John whispers something to Six that makes her laugh.

Five shoots them a look and takes Nine's hand. "Try this one babe" she says handing him the fire bowl. Nine sighs with frustration but he takes the bowl from Five and bows his head with concentration. As Nine's hand passes over the bowl, I hold my breath with anticipation but nothing happens. Nine runs his hand over the top a second time and stops midway through the motion. Fire from the bowl launches itself into his hand and within seconds, a perfectly formed ball of fire has appeared. Nine takes a sharp intake of breath and backs up against the red line stunned by his newfound power. The fire continues to burn brightly but instead of spreading, it remains contained in Nine's hand. As Nine begins to relax, the fire starts to decrease in intensity until all that's left is a few sparks that cling to his fingers.

"That was awesome" Nine says as he hands the bowl to Five. "Glad you liked it." Five then turns to us and says "In time you'll be able to summon your elements at will and the intensity at which it comes. Who wants to go next?" This time John steps forward but Five holds up her hand when he tries to step into the circle. "You already know what your element is."

"What are you talking about?" John asks taken aback. "You control fire don't you? Haven't you ever wondered why you can set yourself on fire at will?" John takes a step back and replies "I always assumed that it was part of my Lumen." Five shakes her head. "Lumen only allows a Garde to light up their hands and makes the resistant to heat. Controlling fire is an entirely different matter. Anyone else?" Marina steps into the circle and Five hands her the bowl of dirt.

Marina runs her hand over the bowl three times but nothing happens. Five then hands Marina the bowl of water and when her hand passes above the bowl, the water springs from the bowl and hovers above her head like a halo. After Marina wills the water to return to bowl, Ella steps in and after a failed attempt at the fire, she is able to control the dirt bowl. Finally it's my turn. The first element I'm given is the water. Like the others before me, the first try attempts to produce any results, but after I fail to control the fire and earth, I begin to feel a bit concerned. Five stares at me for a while before slowly nodding her head. "It seems that you need a different element" she says passing me the bowl filled with vapor.

I take the bowl in my right hand and slowly move my left over the top. As soon as my hand passes over of the bowl, the vapor rises out in a sudden burst and travels up my arm and down my body. The sensation of the vapor running down my chest is like standing in a cold shower only there isn't any water.

The vapor then goes down my legs and wraps itself around my feet where it continues to swirl around, giving the impression that I'm standing on a cloud. Suddenly, the vapor disperses and my clothes are nearly blow off by a sudden burst of wind. The burst then turns into a full blown gale and becomes so intense; I'm knocked over on my back. Before I can try to get back up, Five shouts out a word and the wind dies and the bowl becomes refilled with the vapor. I take a breath and shakily get to my feet. I pull a chair up and sit down warily. "What was that?" I ask Five as she packs up her Chest.

"That was a storm cloud that I condensed and trapped within the bowl. But that's the boring part, your element is wind, the hardest and rarest element any sorcerer can control. Congratulations."

Marina holds my hand affectionately while the others take turns congratulating me asking me what it was like. However, the good mood is interrupted when Lestrade and a clone, Tyrion I think, rush into the room. Five's face takes in a grim looks and she asks what's wrong. Lestrade looks around the room and blurts out "We're under attack." Five immediately bolts out of the room, followed closely by Nine. A full minute passes before the rest of us recover and rush after them. When we reach the passenger area, One, Two, and Three who were taking a nap are up and about trying to figure out what's going on. While we head to the front of the plane, I happen to glance out one of the port windows and am horrified to see a fighter jet with a United States flag painted on its side flying alongside our wing. I look out the right side and am dismayed to see the same thing.

When we all finally reach the cockpit, a chilling scene await for us. Tywin mutely grips the controls as Five, our Cepans, Gregorovich, and Lestrade listen to a message from one of the enemy pilots. "Attention, unidentified aircraft. You are hereby ordered to lower your altitude to 20,000 feet and accompany us to Mannhiem Base. We are authorized to use lethal force if you do not comply. Consider this your only warning."

Tywin turns to Hannibal and Five, unsure how to proceed. "Start lowering the altitude." Five orders through gritted teeth. "I want to lull them into a false sense of security." As Tywin dutifully complies, Five turns to Six. "Come with me, I need your help." Five leads us back to the passenger area and tells us all to strap in. "Six I need you to unleash a storm with me. If you take my hand we can combine our strength and overpower them. Summon all the rain, wind, and lightning that you can. Hopefully we can lose them in the ensuing chaos we unleash." Six looks outside the window and takes a deep breath. "Let's do this." Five grins at Six's eagerness and offers Six her hand.

Six places her hand in Five's and looks back at us with a determined expression. Five bows her head slightly and closes her eyes with concentration. As the plane begins to descend ever so slightly, I see the jets pull away from the plane and drift behind us in case we try to escape. Then, I feel the temperature in the plane drop several degrees as the clear sky around us rapidly turns into swirling, dark grey clouds and gusts of turbulence begin to batter our plane.

Marina grips my hand so tightly, I start to lose circulation but I do my best to give her a reassuring smile. Suddenly, there is a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder follows shortly after. I look out the window a second time and am greeted by an amazing spectacle. Outside the plane, thousands of feet in the air, dozens of tornados have instantly materialized and are swirling around the plane. While our plane is left completely unscathed, I see the jets behind being thoroughly battered thanks to the video feed on my entertainment screen. Lightning continues to flash around us when one of the jets opens fire on us right before flying into one of the tornados.

Miraculously, the shot is way off and the plane is left untouched. Unfortunately for the jet, Five's face takes on a murderous expression and the tornado practically rips the jet's wings to shreds through sheer force. In retaliation for his wingman, the second jet tries to fire a missile but one of the tornados sucks it out of the air before it can do any harm. Before the jet can launch a second shot, two tornados move directly into the jet's path and send it spinning away towards the ground. As the sky clears, we all breathe a collective sigh of relief and unclench our shoulders.

The celebration however is short lived. No sooner are the jets out of our hair, a shrill alarm begins to sound throughout the plane. Ella covers her ears with her hands and shouts "What is that?" I look down at my screen and feel my heart sink down to my shoes. WARNING! The screen says in big red letters. ATTACK INCOMING. Speeding rapidly towards our plane are twenty, silver Mogadorain scout ships. As they get closer and closer to the plane, the ship on the far right launches a missile which is followed simultaneously by the other nineteen ships.

**Will the Garde make it out of this one? Who do you think is waiting in Russia? I apologize for the shortness of Nine's part but it will become clear why Sandor shaved very soon. Also, Adam and Ella will have a POV next chapter which will roll out next week. Until next time folks and remember, reviews are always appreciated. **


	26. Chapter 26

**Hello everyone. Let me start by saying what wonderful readers you are and how much I appreciate your eternal patience. In addition to the massive amount of school work I've been getting I also hit a patch of writers block so ideas have been in short supply. As promised, this chapter has an Ella and Adam POV (Hope that makes up a little for the lateness of this update). Additionally, I would like to assure all of you that I am committed to finishing this story so don't worry about this having no end. As for the shoutouts I promised:**

** C7utch who said - I dont like sarah cuz she is so annoying... and 6 is a badass chick, so that's why it should be 4/6. (Truer words have never been spoken)**

**And**

**TheSpecterPlaywright wrote - Why we hate Sarah so much? *laughs evilly* she makes John so soft and mushy! if she'd die, John will surely toughen up.**

**Honorable mentions go out to NamesTen and Stjohni. Now onto the reading. **

Chapter 26

Five

I feel the missiles racing towards the plane. I vaguely hear someone screaming but I tune it out. I only have one shot at getting this right and I need total control and concentration. I reach out with my mind trying to divert each missile from their paths or at least send them in a direction that will cause the least amount of damage. I send six of the missiles sideways and away from the plane, three towards the ground, and I send two back directly at the ships that fired them. The rest I detonate in the air with a flurry of fire and steel.

One of the ships I flung the missiles at explodes right away but the second ship is only grazed by the missile and crashes into another ship. _Three down, seventeen _to go I think to myself. "Six, try to summon another storm, preferably one with lightning. John, make a force field around the back of the plane. Ella, use your mind control to confuse the pilots or make them crash into each other. Everyone else, use your telekinesis to pull any stray missiles from the air. Lestrade, tell Tywin to execute evasive maneuvers."

"Ishphenni" I call out to my troops on the plane. "Any of you who can control wind can help Six." While, every rushes to their tasks, I begin focusing all my energy on the lead ship which is preparing to fire again. "Ok you bastards" Nine mutters at the Mogs. "Come and get some."

Although their ships are moving too fast for me to focus on, I am easily able to focus my Legacies on the pilots. The first Mog I take over is a dim witted one and the takeover is smooth. _You have a horrible headache_ I tell his mind telepathically. _Run around and bang your head on the walls to get rid of it._ I release his body just as he jumps up and runs into the nearest wall. I move on to the next ship and make a soldier slice through the control panel with his sword. As the two ships I sabotaged fall to Earth, our plane picks up speed and does a flip.

The world is turned completely upside down, causing all the Garde except Nine to scream in terror. He just gives me a thumbs up and flings a missile into another ship. "We have twelve more to take down." I shout to everyone to boost their morale. The Ishphenni batter the Mogs with wind and telekinesis while Six takes out two more with a lightning strike, Ella causes one pilot to lose control, and Eight teleports outside the plane in dragon form to take them head on.

John's force field successfully holds off any missiles from hitting us and our combined efforts reduce our enemy to nine ships. After the plane completes another roll, Eight pops back into the plane. "I did the best I could, but they forced me to come back."

"You did great" I reply while blocking yet another missile. Unfortunately the Mogs have decided to change their strategy and now begin fire their guns at us instead of rockets. The force field holds, but John breaks out in sweat. "Not sure….how much…longer I can…hold it." He says through gritted teeth. I try to take over the Mog controlling the one of the attacking ships, but my energy is spent and he proves to have a stronger mind than the previous pilots.

Instead, I move on to the next ship and have that pilot open fire on his comrade. The attacking ship explodes in a hot mess of flaming metal and I'm able to take out three more before the other Mogs come to their senses and destroy the rouge ship.

_Four left _I remind myself. Before I get to launch another attack, Six destroys one ship with lightning, One rips a second ship out of the sky, and Nine claps his hands together to force the remaining two ships to collide midair. Once the last ship is disposed of, the whole plane breaks out in cheers. "That's what I'm talking about" Adam exclaims thumping One on the back. John and Sam high five each other while Eight and Marina embrace.

"But how did the find us?" Nine demands. I glance cautiously at Six and then towards her Chest in front of her. "Six…" I say slowly. "How long have you had that open before the attack?" Six looks down at the Chest and back at me. "I started going through it after we flew into Germany. Why?"

I walk over to the Chest, hoping my suspicions are wrong, and run my hand over it. The outside inspection reveals nothing, but once I place my hand inside the Chest I find what I'm looking for. Cleverly disguised in a dark corner of the Chest is a Mogadorian bug. I examine it quickly before crushing it between my fingers and turning to Tyrion. "How exactly did you find the Chest at the Pentagon?"

"It was opened with all the contents arranged across a table. We gathered everything we could find and brought the Chest back sealed." I brush the fragments of the bug from my fingers and walk back over to Six. "The bug I found must have been triggered when you opened the Chest."

"Why didn't go off at your place?" I grin and take the seat beside her. "We have every conceivable bug jamming device on the market. If the Mogs have anything that can find Olympus, they deserve to catch us." Once the others settle down a bit, I call for their attention. "Great job everyone. Now the Mogs will be running from us when we fight. As a result of all your hard work, I think a bit of a celebration is in order." I pull some champagne from the fridge and pass it around after I pour it into enough glasses. "To our first air fight, and killing Mogs." I glance at Adam with an apologetic smile.

"No offense Adam." He raises his glass to me and says "None taken." Adam then raises his glass higher and cries "To the fight!" Everyone else echoes his cheer and takes a sip of their drink. I thank the Ishphenni for helping us and return to my seat beside Nine. I give him a tired smile and yawn as he nurses his drink. "Tired already?" He asks amused. I drain my drink in one gulp and set the empty glass down. "My powers are very draining" I reply rubbing my head.

He sets his glass down and takes my hand. "I think I could find a few ways to make you feel better" he whispers suggestively. His breath against my neck sends a rush of heat flooding through my face so I lean closer to him. "What did you have in mind?" He grins wickedly and gently traces my cheek with his thumb. "Something like this" he says brushing his lips against mine. I pull him closer to me and sigh with bliss. Nine pulls away briefly to make sure no one is watching us and deepens the kiss. Within a few minutes, I forget all about my tiredness.

Adam

One rests her head gently against my shoulder and lets her blond hair run down along my arm. I love the way it feels. "Tell me one more time" she begs, sipping her drink. I pretend to think about it for a minute but quickly oblige her. "So he challenged Talia to a fight to the death and demanded to be set free if he won. Talia accepted and told him that if he lost, he and my family would belong to her. He agreed to the terms and as soon as the fight started, he charged her head on. She rolled out of the way and used her swords to block his attacks. During the fight Talia used one of her swords to make duplicates of herself but my dad cut through them pretty quickly. They kept at it for a good five to ten minutes when… it happened."

I pause for effect and then continue. "His sword got around her guard and he managed to cut her on the arm. Talia let go of her sword and he kicked her onto the ground. So there she is lying on the ground and he raises his sword into the air and says "For Mogadore!" like he's Setrakus Ra. As the sword's coming down, Talia stops it with telekinesis and uses her other sword to cut his in half. So my dad gets pissed right? And he goes after her with a broken sword in his hand somehow thinking he can still win. He tries to stab her, but Talia just jumps into the air, lands behind him and slices his calves with her sword. So he goes down for good and then she used her mind control to rip some information from his head and put him in a coma of some sort."

One nods her head very impressed. "Think she could teach me how to fight like that?" I glance over to where Talia is sitting and am greeted by the sight of Nine and Talia being very occupied with each other. "I'm sure you can ask her whenever she stops trying to suck Nine's face off" I reply pointing them out to One. She sniggers loudly and nearly coughs out her drink. "Lucky girl" she sighs finishing her drink. I raise my eyebrows at her and she gestures exasperated at Nine. "Well look at him! I mean he makes Wade looks like a Sasquatch. Have you ever seen a guy that fine and not want see what he has under the hood? "

I sputter on my drink and say "If I said yes to that question, this would turn into a whole other type of conversation." One shrugs and says "True that but guys can be curious about other guys. I mean you've been hanging around mainly guys your whole life right? Other Mogs in training, soldiers under your dad's command and that asshole Ivan right?"

"Of course" I reply slightly confused as to where this is going. One picks up her glass and gives me a naughty smile. "And you…never…." She waves her glass around while leaving the question open ended. I give her a long look and curtly reply "Never." One grins and gives me a smile. "Ah I'm just teasing you Adam. I forgot how fun it is to wind you up." I shake my hand and move to stand up but One latches onto me. "Oh come one, where's your sense of humor? Besides" she says running her hand along my arm "we still have a bunch of catching up to do." I'm quickly persuaded to stay and sit back down. "Where do you want to start?" One smiles triumphantly and says "How about you start after I gave you my Legacy?"

Ella

"Are we almost there Papa?" He sets down his book and smiles at me kindly. "Soon Ella." I wait a few seconds before blurting out "How soon?" Papa looks down at his screen and says "We'll arrive in about an hour." I swing my legs against the seat and look out the window to see the world below me. My first impression of Russia is that it's a big country but, rather plain, and it has very few buildings or people. "Is that what the whole country is like Papa? No roads or cities?"

He smiles at me and pulls a map from his coat pocket. "Large parts of the country are like this but this is just the outer part. In the big cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg there are millions of people. So don't worry El, we aren't alone out here." I sit back in my seat and continue to watch Russia pass beneath us. "Did it hurt?" I ask timidly.

Papa leans closer towards me and takes my hands. "Did what hurt sweetie?" "Dying and coming back." Papa leans back in his chair and takes on a thoughtful look. "Not exactly. When I died I didn't feel any pain per say but the world became completely dark and I felt myself slipping away from my body. At first it felt like I was falling but then I was plunged into what I can only describe as a dream. I relived every memory I ever experienced including ones I'd like to forget. I saw my childhood, my teenage years, training as a Cepan, every birthday, every sick day, and of course the first time I met you."

I tender look crosses his face. "That my dear is my favorite memory. However, it was only a few weeks after your birth when they came." I see a dark flash in his eyes and know he's talking about the day the Mogadorians destroyed our home. "After that, I relived our escape, our time on Earth, and finally the day I died. Once I reached the end, there was a flash of blue light and my whole body started tingling like I was getting tickled." To emphasis his point, Papa reaches over and ambushes me with a brutal tickle attack. I laugh so hard; I start coughing due to lack of air but keep laughing and only cough harder.

Papa lets me go and finishes his story. "When the light finally burned away, I was lying on a table in a glass chamber with a group strangers staring at me. I thought about fighting my way out but Five introduced herself to me and explained what had happened. Apparently she had been looking for us for a while and arrived a few hours after the Mogs attacked us. Once I realized who she was, I took her our Chimera and that's the last thing that happened before I came back to you."

"So there wasn't a light at the end of the tunnel Papa?" He laughs and strokes his mustache. "I think you've been watching too many movies El." "How did we escape Lorien Papa?" He smiles wistfully like the memory is good but sad at the same time and replies "When Loridas sacrificed himself for you he told me our only hope was the Space Museum since it was the one that might have a working ship. Luckily, Eddard and Cornelius were working at Museum that night and were able to help us. Eddard was the one that found the Chimera, he had a side business breeding them and we loaded whatever we could onto the ship and took off for the space station. Cornelius was able to convert the power systems and we flew the rest of the way on that."

He sighs sadly and quietly adds "The rest of the planet wasn't as lucky as us though. Once we arrived here, we promised to keep in touch with communication devices we brought and vowed only to use them in an emergency. In addition to gems and weapons, they also gave us Olivia to help me protect you." I stoke Cersei gently in her cat form and pick her up. "I'm glad you were chosen as my Cepan Papa." He wraps his arms around me and whisper "So am I El. So am I." We spend the next half an hour playing cards, talking about Russia, making up a game where we try and guess what animal Cersei will turn into.

As the plane pulls onto the run way, the others cheer loudly and chatter excitedly. Having mind control, I'm also privy to some of their private thoughts. Nine can't wait to be alone with Five, Adam wants more time with One, Six wants to talk to John about something, and Marina wants some time to explore Moscow with Eight. As I pull my bag out from under my seat, I look out the window and see a strange sight. Over twenty cars have pulled onto the tarmac and are quickly being emptied of passengers. I see several dozen men in suits stepping out of the cars and making a circle formation around a man in a black fur coat. I tuck on Papa's sleeve and point it out to him "Who's that Papa?"

Nine

When we step of the plane, Talia and Hannibal head straight towards the man with the fur coat. Up closer, I can see that this guy has solid grey hair, pale skin, with clear blue eyes and manages to convey an intimidating presence as well as nearly reaches Hannibal's six five build despite the fact that he is easily in his fifties. He seems to radiate authority and the men around him stand at attention as though he will order them to march. He sizes Talia and Hannibal up like he's thinking about what sized coffin would be the best fit for them but then to my surprise, the big Russian embraces both Hannibal and Talia warmly.

The three of them break into a rapid fire conversation in Russian that I can not hope to follow and carry on for a good five minutes while the others disembark from the plane. "And who is this young man?" The big man asks in nearly flawless English. Talia is about to answer but I step forward and reply "Номер девять к вашим услугам." Much to my delight both Talia and Hannibal's mouths drop open with shock. Between the two of them I can't tell who's more surprised but after a moment the big guy grins and says "I see you speak Russian Number Nine. Very good." He looks down at Zod who is in the form of a panther and then back at me. "A most interesting pet you have here Number Nine. May I?"

As he bends down to pet my Chimera, Zod changes into a grey wolf and growls at him. The three men closes to him immediately reach for their guns but their boss just chuckles and waves his hand at them. "Stand down. I don't have anything to fear from a Chimera." He then places his hand under Zod's snout which Zod sniffs hesitantly before licking.

"How do you know what he is?" I ask steadily not wanting to reveal my surprise. The Russian looks up and replies "Being a member of the Society of Shadows has its benefits Number Nine. I assume that this is the rest of the Garde?" While the four of us have been talking the rest of our party has disembarked from the plane and is making their way towards us. The others form a hesitant circle around cars but the Russian overlooks their trepidation and spreads his arms wide. "Hello my friends, I am Yassen Gregorovich. Welcome to Moscow."

After introductions are made and Yassen's men begin loading the cars, Five pulls me to the side. "Since when can you speak Russian?" I grin and gesture towards Sandor who's in the middle of a talk with Yassen. "There were a few Russian girls back in Chicago" I reply. Talia gives me a look but before she can respond, I hear Yassen yell "Sergei!"

"Uncle" he replies and the two of them embrace. "I didn't know Sergei had an uncle" I tell Talia. "Well now you do" Talia replies bitingly, apparently still sore about my earlier comment. I wrap my arms around her slowly and am relieved when she doesn't shrug me off. "Hey I was just kidding earlier. Sandor picked it up and he taught me what he knew. You know that there's no one besides you right?" For a tense moment Talia says nothing but she eventually turns around and gives me a light kiss.

"Of course I know that, I was just pretending to be annoyed" I give a relived sigh and am about to kiss her back when Eight teleports beside me. Talia flinches slightly whereas I just glare and Eight who grins cheekily at us. "Come on you two, we have places to be." Five looks at him with something that's a cross between annoyance and amusement. "Was that really necessary Eight?"

He shrugs and replies "Well now you know how I felt" before waving and teleporting away. "What was that about?" I ask her. Talia shakes her head and offers me her arm. "I'll tell you about it on the way to Yassen's place." My stomach rumples audibly causing Talia to grin widely and dryly comment "Did I mention his chef makes some mean pierogies?" Giving into my hunger, I quickly walk her to the nearest car.

Yassen's home is located on the outskirts of Moscow and while it is certainly dwarfed by Olympus, it is no less grand. Standing nearly three stories tall it contains an indoor pool, a movie theater, a bowling alley, a garage that holds ten assorted sports cars, a massive chandelier fills the main entrance with light, and the walls are lined with hundreds of tapestries and paintings. The kitchen is almost the size of the one back home, the dining room can seat over eighty people, and a small army of house workers walk around, attending to our every need.

While Yassen gives us the tour, we are introduced to his twin sons Victor and Nikolai. Both have their father's build and looks but they are in their thirties and have black hair instead of grey. Once the tour is over and our luggage has been placed in our new rooms, Yassen leads us back to the dining room where dinner awaits. When we reach the dining room however, two seats are already occupied. In one sits a red headed women in her twenties while the other is a blonde. Both are extremely hot and stand up when we enter. "Sandor" the blonde one says walking towards us. I look at Sandor in disbelief but he just grins at me in response. "So this is why you shaved today?" I ask incredulously.

Sandor never gets a chance to answer the question since the blonde practically launches herself at him with an intense kiss. Meanwhile, the red head gravitates toward Lestrade and has a brief exchange with him. _That's Ana, Lestrade's girlfriend _Talia informs me answering my unspoken question. The blonde finally pulls away from my Cepan and eyes him with interest. "So are things?" She asks with a slight accent. "Yeah Sandor how are things?" I echo as nonchalantly as possible.

Sandor clears his throat and says "Nine this is Caterina, Sergei's sister… and my girlfriend." The second part of the sentence comes out so quietly that I probably would have missed it if not for my enhanced hearing. I thump Sandor on the back exclaim "Girlfriend!? Why didn't you say anything?" Sandor shrugs. "You never asked" he says taking a seat beside Caterina.

Over our meal, Talia updates Yassen on the developments of Setrakus Ra, resurrecting One, Two, and Three, and our need to reach the library underneath the Kremlin. Yassen sits back and listens carefully to everything she says and doesn't speak until she is finished. "The tunnels beneath the Kremlin are guarded day and night by the Spetznaz" Yassen replies, while pouring himself a shot of Vodka. "That's not a problem we can handle any guards we find patrolling the tunnels" Talia assures him. "Can you get us in?"

Yassen considers this and says "Yes. But be warned, our enemies also have sentries within the tunnels." Victor and Nikolai shift uncomfortable in their seats while the rest of us turn to look at Talia. "How many?" Hannibal asks. "Dozens. My men on the inside report seeing them every day. They appear to be searching for something, most likely the entrance to your library." Talia ponders this before concluding "They won't find it without the Loralite."

"Well, you need to get in and get out. As soon as the Mogs realize you're down there, they'll seal everything off and trap you inside." We all become silent, dreading to contemplate what the Mogs will do to us if they catch us. Realizing how morbid that sounds Talia quickly adds "Which is why we'll be gone before they realize we were even there." Talia stands to address us and says "We will kill every Mogs that we find and take back what is ours. Nothing will stop us."

**So things are heating up with the Garde. Next time, we will finally get to the library. Until next time folks. Don't forget to review and comment! **


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